Clash of the Elements Part 4 EX Story 3: The Xrd Impact
by mewmaster93
Summary: The third leg of Alex and Shina's journey takes them to a world once ravaged by the menacing Gears. Though this world has found peace, the presence of the mysterious Valentines threatens to tear the peace asunder. In their quest to find another piece to the Cosmos Drive, the duo will be entangled into the affairs of it's worlds' "hero" Sol Badguy, the Flame of Corruption...
1. Chapter 1

" _Ah, hello again old friend. It has been a while hasn't it? Though your perspective of time is more 'realistic' than ours, isn't it? For you the wait has been simple…"_

" _Pardon my peculiar greeting, old friend, but it's not as though you are a stranger to such things."_

" _So now our delightful duo is on to a harsher world than anything they have been to so far…So the gloves are off at this point for you, aren't they?"_

"… _Another smile. You're having far too much fun with this, aren't you? Just make sure not to damage the boy too much, I require his powers in the future."_

"… _What of the girl? …You know, the point of keeping her away from that fool Gravitus wasn't so she could die anyways. Do what you will, but make sure she lives too."_

" _You make no promises? …Well, I suppose I respect that honesty and loathe it all the same…"_

" _Just remember, old friend, that there is still a particular fight I wish to see from our Phoenix of Destruction. It's time he come to realize what his hesitation could cost him…"_

 **CLASH OF THE ELEMENTS PART 4 EX STORY 3:**

 **THE XRD IMPACT**

 **Chapter 1: Blue Water, Blue Sky**

In the farthest recesses of space, a single sphere of wind whisks its way through the ebony expanse, guided by the young boy standing inside it. His name was Alex Whiter, and his simple appearance consisting of a red shirt and blue jeans hides his incredible power as an Elemental Overlord.

He does not journey alone, as a swerve of his head allows him to gaze at the resting feminine figure behind. This girl, Shina Aurora, laid on her side atop a good amount of her long blonde hair, nestling her hands beside her cheek as she smiled. The boy tiredly raised his brows and let out a sigh, turning around and laying his hands close to his pockets.

"She's been sleeping a lot lately…Can't blame her, there's nothing to do." He closed his eyes and one hand slipped into his right pocket, touching a rough, rounded stone inside. "It has been…five months already? A little over nine months since we started this, and we only have two artifacts to our name."

Lifting his eyes and deeply thinking, he then said quietly "Lets see here, she said there's Ten Sages, and two of their names are on each stone so far. That's five stones, three to go…Ghhh, I should have her check the aura trail, hopefully we're close to another world."

He slowly approaches Shina and bends down, spreading his legs and hunching over slightly with a dull look in his eyes. He takes a hand out and moves it towards her face, murmuring bluntly "Hey you, get up." Before his hand touched, her body quivered in rhythm with her chuckle as she lazily let slip "Sis…lemme sleep a little longer…"

Curling his fingers back a little, Alex puckered his lips and hummed hesitantly. Looking back at her caused his heart to pound a bit against his chest. "She looks so…comfortable…" He muttered as he looked at her innocent pose, which contrasted her curvaceous and mature figure.

With a blush in his cheeks, Alex shook his head and said "F-Forget it, I'll just be gentle." He then glided his hand across her left cheek, going a little farther than necessary and wiggling some hair between his fingers. He only smiled a little before Shina wiggled, causing him to jerk back with so much force that he nearly loses his balance.

"Hehehe…!" A joyous squeal emerged from the awakening girl as Alex looks away and ponders _"So she's ticklish there…? E-Err, wait, what does it matter to me?!"_ After a couple slaps on his cheeks he thought Shina hadn't woken up yet and in a haste went to pinch her nose. Her eyes opened immediately and he reeled back with a blush in his cheeks.

Shina blinked twice then pulled herself upright, patting her yawning mouth in a rhythm before smacking her lips and looking to Alex. Her hair was spread around her body but she didn't care. She blinked a bit more and muttered with a finger rested on her cheek "Oh, it's you. Huh…" Her disappointment rung out, leaving Alex to tell her sarcastically "Who else would it have been, the Tooth Fairy?"

"Not unless I suddenly lost a tooth overnight!" Shina smiled and giggled before standing up, the boy letting out a sigh before telling her "Whatever, I was hoping you could pull up the aura trail again. I'm hoping we didn't get lost."

"Sure! Just give me a second!" Shina reached into her right pocket while brushing her hair back behind her, touching the shrunken artifact as Alex faced the front of the sphere and noticed a blue-ish planet in the distance. Closing his eyes and folding his arms he grumbled "Lemme guess…"

"Hey Alex, the aura trail is going towards that planet!" Once Shina blurted that out Alex snapped his fingers before his chest and said "I could REALLY make a living as a gambler with these type of calls." He then turned to Shina as a trail of blue aura was floating beside him.

Thrusting his hand out to move the air sphere towards the planet, he said in a relieved tone "At least we're finally making progress." Shina clapped her hands together and said "No kidding! We really should pick up a game on this world to alleviate the trip's boredom."

Leaning back with hands in his pockets, Alex said "I just really hope this world's different than the last two. If I see another cutesy talking animal…" As his lips curled into a scowl Shina giggled and said playfully "Oh it wasn't that bad."

He gave a shocked glare and told her "Says the one who was briefly a chicken." Shina shook her head and replied "That's nothing to get my feathers in a bunch over." Her eyes then sparkled in wonder as she clenched her fists and asked "So what world do you we think we're heading to now?"

Looking back as the planet got closer, Alex saw that it was another Earth and said aloofly "Geez I have no idea." Shina stepped forth and peered out, commenting heartily "I dunno, something looks a little off, wouldn't ya say?"

Alex didn't even bother to look as he asked "How do you figure?" Shina replied "Well how many Earths do ya know where Japan is just completely wiped out?"

"A lot of them. Don't know why Japanese game and anime developers have a fascination with destroying their home…" The boy shook his head and took a moment to register what he heard. Turning around he muttered "Wait, huh?" and saw that the old oriental country was nowhere to be seen.

Folding his arms together with a hollow feeling in his chest, Alex said "W-Well…that doesn't tell us what world this is." Shina loftily leaned back and glanced over her shoulder to reply "The rest of the world looks fine. Lets just go take a look-see."

"We've got no choice. Just remember what you promised Shina." Alex firmly glared her way as she motioned a cross before her chest and told him "I'll stay focused this time. We'll find the artifact piece as quickly as possible."

"Good, I'm holding you to that." Alex cricks his neck a little and then holds his arms out, Shina stepping aside as the boy sends the sphere hurtling towards the planet. As they pass through the atmosphere, the strange twinge that they felt before came about rather normally this time. The Pacific Ocean was directly below, but as Alex paused the sphere midway through the descent he thought _"Another world, another chance to encounter that strange aura…"_ and turned to Shina.

"So what direction do we go from here?" Alex flinched as he saw her quickly hiding her arms behind her back and chuckling nervously. That raised quite a few alarms in Alex's mind as he asked her slowly "Shina…don't tell me."

"Sorry Alex, the trail just dropped."

Alex scrunched his forehead as his expression turned sour. And with a frustrated grumble he asked "What's the point of a trail that can't even cross freaking dimensions?!" Then he stamped his foot down and swung his arms out. Shina, swaying on the side of optimism, smiled and suggested "Japan's gone and there's another dimension here. I think that narrows down what world we're on?"

"I'd prefer you sound certain on that. But whatever, maybe if we dropped down and talked to someone we'd get a better idea of what we're up against." Alex calmed down a little and heard out Shina as she asked "Well where do you think we should check?"

"Anywhere outside of Australia will do." Alex's reply was swiftly blunt, and with a sigh Shina quietly asked him "You're not going to let that go?"

"I don't forget." Alex spoke calmly, and with a light sigh continued "Not now, not ever."

"Well I wouldn't worry about talking animals if my guess is correct."

"Good!" Alex almost cracked a smile before turning to face her again. He waved a hand out and asked "Look, we're above the Pacific. Lets just go to America." A shadow started to be cast over the two as he suggested that.

"Clouds? I didn't see any on the way here." Alex looked up and saw the sky was perfectly clear, but the shadow kept getting bigger and bigger. Shina land a hand on his left shoulder and pointed back while saying "Uhhh, Alex, you might want to get moving."

Her relaxed attitude did not belay the importance enough as Alex slowly turned his head while telling her "Relax, if there was a threat then I would've-"

As a lesson on paying attention to your teammate, getting smacked straight on by the gigantic metal hull of an airship is quite effective, as Alex quickly found out when the air sphere was broken and his and Shina's bodies were planted back first against the hull. Sent along at high speeds along with the ship, Alex felt his lips wiggling from the air pressure at first and his words came out jumbled.

"Wh-at the he-ll?!"

"Whee-hee-hee! This is exciting!" Shina embraced the experience with absolute glee, and every strand of her hair was pinned against the metal. Alex grit his teeth and thought _"Well, time to brace myself for the usual craziness…"_ as he peeled an arm away from the wall and lessened the air pressure.

He then zapped his and Shina's shoes and turned so he stands on the hull perfectly fine. Shina slowly turned her head and asked "Alex I don't think gravity works like that." The boy swung his hand out and bemoaned "Just stand on the hull." Shina pulled away and tried to flip fancifully, but flopped face first onto the hull and started to slide back.

Alex ran ahead and grabbed her right arm, pulling her up so she can stand sideways on the hull. She chuckled as he berated her calmly "I didn't get rid of all the air pressure." Shina rubbed the back of her head and said "Wouldn't want to disturb the ship?"

The boy glanced aside and said "Sure, lets go with that." Shina then walked around in circles for a bit, the metal clanging loudly below her feet.

"This is pretty cool, but flying is much more fun and free!"

"Well then why don't we fly onto this ship and see what ingrate rammed into us?" Alex suggested with some irritation in his voice. Shina paused and looked over her shoulder, looking at the annoyed twitch of his eyebrows before commenting "Uh-oh…"

The boy slanted his eyes and muttered "Look, if the owner of this…" he glanced over his shoulder and squinted to make out the name of the ship painted over the long red side before continuing "'Super…Mayship…?'"

He shook his head and looked back, unaware of Shina's gasp and grin as he firmly told her "If they can't equip a freaking radar on their ship, then that's no-" Shina stopped him with a swift poke to the chest and said while reeling back "Ha, I knew it! We're on the Guilty Gear world!"

Alex blinked and with puckered lips said "I-I was getting to that" before thinking _"Oh great, so that means we're on HIS ship."_ He faced Shina and scanned her body a couple times, wiggling his eyes away with a soft "Ahem".

" _Geez, he'd be on you the moment we show up."_ Alex played cool and told her "I'm going to see if I can get inside the ship and say hi the people running it. Then I'll grab whatever intel and meet you back here."

The ship shook a little, the boy wrote it off as turbulence and focused as Shina replied dully "Uh, why?" Alex quickly made up an answer "Because if the aura trail suddenly comes back it'll be easier to notice where we need to go out here."

Assertively she told him while shaking her head "I really, REALLY think I should come with." The ship shook again, and there was a very faint explosion heard in the distance. Alex glanced back this time while responding "What, think I can't handle it?"

"I really really REALLY don't want to be rude…You're nicer than before Alex, but you're still lacking in proper…tact I want to say?" Shina held her hands before her chest as she said that, following with an apologetic bow as Alex widened his eyes and lashed out with sputtering offense "N-Now wait just a second! I can handle a pirate!"

"Weren't you just about to give him a piece of your mind?" Shina said with a gentle smile. Alex paused for a glare and then with a flick of his left hand out pulled some metal from the hull to wrap around Shina's feet.

"I'm doing this for your own good." Alex swiftly said before leaping off and flying towards the top of the ship. Shina looked up and said hastily "Hey, Aleeeex!" He was out of range in a second and with a shrug of her shoulders she pulled out her rapier and said "Note to self, work on his manners."

At the top of the ship, Alex stood close to the tip and looked around as the wind blew roughly against his body. "Right, this ship is different than the original, so if I want to get inside…" He quickly braced himself as the ship shook again, and when it passed he grit his teeth and proclaimed "You got to be kidding me! These guys aren't that bad of pilots!"

As he turned around, Alex finally noticed that the ship's cannons were going off, firing at some THING that was flying around it. It was a strange creature as big as a two-story building and four wings made of split, rusted gears. It's head bore similarities to a gecko, but with dozens of searing red eyes spread across it. It's two fanged tongues lashed out with it's deafening shrieks, and a couple metallic serpents wiggled it's way through the folds of wrinkly dark silver skin on it's beastly frame.

It flinched from the cannon balls exploding upon it, but not enough to stop the lasers erupting from it's many eyes that ripped into the frame of the ship. Alex laid a hand against the side of his hair and commented "What a disgusting Gear…" With a smile of cunning intent, he continued "If I take this thing out, it'll be easier to get information from the people in this ship."

Swinging his right arm out, it became wreathed in flames that extended far past the reach of his palm, calling forth a sword made of glistened amber that had a fanged look to it. Firmly focused on the Gear, he exclaimed "Hey asshole, over here!" The monster turned and immediately flew at Alex with a loud shriek.

With a swing of his blade Alex cast forth a wave of fire at the Gear's eyes. The flames scorched the bloody lens and left them releasing smoke forth. With a deeper screech the beast grabbed it's face and tumbled out of the air, crashing and rolling as Alex leaped to the right. The Gear slid off the ship and Alex spun his sword around with a smile filled with pride.

"As though I'd lose to a monster. Come back when you're a Megadeath class and maybe I'll give you the time of day!" He turned around and casually strolled ahead with sword held behind his back when the Gear suddenly flew back up with hands swung out. It's bubbling eyes were healing slowly but they were fitting for the boiling rage it experienced.

With a single clap the Gear sent out a tunnel of sonar waves at Alex, who was inflicted with a loud ringing in his ears as the ground around his feet ripped apart. "Gck…!" Alex bit his lower lip as the attack came to an end and the Gear lunged right at him, it's vein-y claws threatening to rip through his flesh.

Blue streaks speed by and puncture the Gear's palm, twisting it's flesh as it pierced through the other side. A couple of them lodged into the creature's eyes and made them burst apart. The Gear recoiled back and Alex was able to turn around, noticing Shina had activated her Gunslinger Drive, giving her a pair of pistols, silver hair and some mid-riff revealing armor.

Sticking a wiggling finger into his right ear as he turned, Alex yelled out "I told you to wait for me to get back!" Shina shot a few more aura bullets at the Gear, aiming for it's right shoulder while happily proclaiming back "Not like I was gonna stay back when this ship's under attack! Besides, it was rude of you to hold me there." Ending that off in a forcibly prissy tone, Shina heard the boom of cannon fire and ducked as they sped by above her.

The Gear recoiled back from the explosions but dug it's talons into the ship's bow. Then it swung both it's claws at Alex's sides. The boy flicked some wax away and with a draw of his sword back spun it out in an arc to slice through the monster's wrists. Calling up a barrier of wind to blow away the spurting blood, Alex then swung his other hand out and shot streaks of lightning at the abnormal wings.

The wings clamp down onto the ship and the Gear is unable to move. Alex backs up a bit as a couple cannon balls struck the back of the wings and blew them apart from the rest of the body. The gears clattered off in multiple directions while Alex spun his left hand around above his head, taking the cold air and moisture to condense it into a huge spear of ice.

When the Gear lets out a pained screech, Alex swung his arm out and the spear impaled through the monster's mouth, dragging it right off the ship and sending it hurtling towards the ocean. What remained of it's presence were streaks of blood that blended into the red metal top of the ship. With another spin of his sword, Alex dispelled it and glided his hand behind his head.

"Geez, starting off with a Gear attack of all things…" Alex turned around and walked on over to Shina, who deactivated her Drive and proclaimed "Good work! The Jellyfish Pirates are all safe and sound now!"

"Then we can finally get some information on what time period this is and work on finding the artifact from there." Alex stepped past Shina and shrugged his shoulders. She gestured out and said with a chuckle "Lets just see how it goes. It's not becoming of a gentleman to sully a good deed with demands of a reward."

Her posh accent made Alex look over his shoulder with a crumpled expression and let out a simple "Whaaaa…?" As he turned back he shook his head and murmured "Is this going to be her thing for this world? Whatever…just stick to the plan Alex."

A surge of radio feedback grabbed the two's attention, followed by a suave, southern-accented voice calling out _"That was mighty impressive. I don't know where you two came from, but I reckon a couple helpful strangers like you deserve a reward. There's a lift you can take up ahead. Come on in, you're more than welcome here."_

Alex leaned forward and exclaimed "All we need is some information!" Only the wind responded with an awkward whisper. Shina patted Alex on the shoulder and told him "He can't hear you from here Alex."

"I know that!" He brushed her off and said "I'll head inside myself. PLEASE stay back, this'll only take a few minutes." Even as he went towards the lift, Shina whistled and walked behind him. He groaned and forced himself to accept this. Folding his arms against his chest as they got on the lift, Alex tapped his foot as the lift descended.

They were taken to a decently sized corridor with bright orange lighting on the walls. The door on the other end opened up and a man walked in. Alex's heart skipped a beat at the man's appearance. His slender but lightly tanned muscular body oozed with confidence, which translated to the way he strutted forth. He had no qualms with decency as he left his long collared trench coat open, and his pair of dark shades gave him an air of mystery and brought a twinge of nostalgia to Alex. With a pair of long fitting slacks, a gunslinger-style belt, and a wide-rimmed Cowboy hat atop his pony-tailed blonde hair, this man appeared to be the pinnacle of humanity.

As he approached, the man tipped his hat up and swung that hand before his face, a smile appearing in that instance as he looked ahead. His lens couldn't hide just who he was focused on, and as Alex froze up the man stood in front of a slightly flustered Shina and commented "I don't hear much about ladies who are willing to fight Gears. If I did, I reckon I would've heard of one as pretty as you by now."

Shina giggled like a lovestruck teenager and with a light brush of her hand out said "O-Oh you don't have to be this welcoming Mr. Johnny!" Alex widened his eyes and with grit teeth frustratingly thought _"Damn it! His charisma snared her that easily?!"_

Johnny pulled his head back a bit and smirked suavely "Well well, my reputation proceeds me. Be honest, was it your job that brought you here, or perhaps you have some more…playful intentions?" With a blush brighter than a tomato, Shina replied "Oh no no no, it was just a coincidence!"

"Heh…Well coincidence or not, you pulled this ship out of a tight situation. And as I said, such generosity deserves a reward." Johnny gracefully lifted Shina's hand up to his face as though it was light as a feather and gave the back of it a brief but passionate kiss. Alex's eyes flared up and he yelled out in a mad stutter "H-HEY!"

Shina, meanwhile, rubbed the side of her face with a nervous smile and replied "I-I wasn't expecting you to be so forward…" Johnny let her hand slip away and told her with a grin "It'd be a sin not to. Though you can consider that a bonus. For my real reward, I'd like to offer you to join the Jellyfish Pirates."

With a gasp Shina folded her arms before her waist and clenched her fists, briefly looking at Alex's glare before staring Johnny in the eyes and saying "I-I appreciate your kindness Mr. Johnny, but we can't stay very long. We just need to get our bearings here and then move on…N-Not to mention I'm uhhh…not 18 yet." She gave her dismissal as gently as she could.

Johnny's expression drooped a bit, lowering his sunglasses halfway down his nose as he muttered "I-I beg your pardon?" Shina gave a brief nod and hum. Johnny's eyes glided up and down Shina's body before he muttered even quieter than before "T-That can't be right…"

His confidence shaken, he quickly snapped his fingers before his chest and said "Well while it'd be rude to force you to stay, you're welcome to do so. Just know we'll have to set anchor to make some repairs, and unless you're itching for more trouble you might want to depart there." The man spun around and swayed his coat, making his way back to the door while scratching the side of his head and murmuring "Kids these days…"

Shina looked at Alex and saw that he still maintained a flustered look, so she asked innocently "What's got you all hot under the collar?" Alex gleamed at her, shook his head, and with a smirk replied "N-Nothing at all! Look, lets just go inside the ship and see what info we can get from the Jellyfish Pirates."

"…Ok!" Shina lit up and began to make her way for the door, her excitement manifesting in the way she skipped along. Alex rubbed the back of his head and grumbled "…What do I care anyways?" before following Shina along.

 _Next Time: Simple Life_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Original Bet**

After the ultimately awkward greeting from Johnny, Shina and Alex made their way further into the Super Mayship, guided by the man in charge. It was no surprise that a ship this big had a lot of machinery working inside. Alex barely cared, but Shina's inquiring mind got her asking "Hey, Mr. Johnny?"

"…What's up?" He gave a somewhat dulled response as he looked back and tipped his hat up. Shina continued with a smile "How long did it take you to get this ship working?"

"Only a few years. Every ship we own is a pride and joy of the Jellyfish Pirates, but well…" With a grin the man paused for a moment and gave a thumbs up "Lets just say there's one I've been working on that I'm even prouder of."

Alex raised a brow and said sarcastically "Must've cost you a pretty penny to get all the parts." Johnny surprised him with a chuckle and a nonchalant response "That ol' Zepp owed us a few favors."

"And now you owe US one. In fact, I'd like to cash it in now." Alex folded his arms and remained blunt, with Shina scratching the side of her head. Johnny turned back and flicked a hand beside his head as he said "Go right ahead."

"Have you seen anything resembling a curved stone with strange runes carved into it?"

"Curved stone eh? Nope, can't say I have. Though it sounds valuable, so even if I did, I reckon it would've been sold for a hefty sum." Johnny's honesty, though appreciated, did little to help. As he depressurized an iron door at the end of the hall, he turned sideways and waved a pointer finger out coolly at Alex, smiling as he asked "You sure that's the favor you want from me?"

"Unfortunately…" Alex sighed and rubbed his temples to the point he was pinching the skin. Johnny, with a soft chuckle, said "Well, tell ya what, lets just call that a freebie."

Alex responded, assured in his tone "Well, you'd probably just answer our questions regardless." Johnny grabbed the lip of his hat and lowered it, letting out a light "Heh" before gesturing out to Alex and opening his lips ready to say something. However…

"JOOOOOOOOHNNY!" On a dime the man swerved in the direction the shrill, feminine voice came from the room ahead. It came from a young looking girl wearing an orange coat with a skin tight body suit underneath. Hoisted over her shoulder in her fingerless, gloved hands was an anchor as big as she is, carried as though it was a simple toy. Her ensemble was completed by a cape of sorts around her waist, orange tights, big orange shoes, and a skull plated tricorn hat that sat atop her waist-length brown hair.

Even as the girl gave Johnny a pout and glare from her brown eyes, the man calmly asked "Something the matter May?" She loudly told him "We've been waiting to know which port we should restock at! WHAT have you been doing?!"

The moment she was done she looked around and immediately focused fiercely on Shina. May aggressively swung her finger out and exclaimed "You!" Her expression turned sour as Shina confusedly pointed at herself.

May squinted her eyes and turned her head to Johnny, who chuckled and said with a smirk "May, this isn't what it looks like." The girl hummed a tiny bit before rushing right over to Shina. Planting her anchor on the ground enough to shake the hall, May stood on the bottom to try and edge out that one foot difference in height.

The anchor kept an even balance even as May leaned forth and brandished a finger at Shina, telling her brashly "I got my eye on you hussy, so if you try anything funny I'll launch you out to sea."

"H-Hussy?!" Shina's mouth was left agape. Johnny stepped up and patted May on the shoulder, telling her quietly "Settle down May. There's nothing going on here. This kind young lady and her partner just helped us deal with the Gear."

May turned her head and drooped her mouth to let out an "Eh?" before saying "These two? …Are you SURE?" Her reprimanding tone didn't even flinch Johnny and he snapped his fingers before replying "You can bet on it."

"Hrrmmm…" May hopped off the anchor and swung it over her shoulder, just barely brushing Johnny's rugged chest. She then put a finger before each eye and then swung them at Shina with two fierce points before turning around and saying "I guess I'll tell April to drop us off at Illyaria."

May walked off with heavy footsteps, and once she was out of earshot Johnny looked at Shina and said "My apologies." Shina grinned and said "No, no…It's alright. I like her spunk."

Alex, having spaced out for a little, blinked and said "…Huh?" before Shina and Johnny started moving. The boy continued onward and quickly asked "Hey wait a second, what is May even doing here?"

"I beg your pardon?" Johnny inquired with a look back. Alex shook his head and murmured "Err, I had a bit of a mind lapse there."

"Well perhaps a little relaxation will help set that straight."

"…Do you have a TV on this ship? We'd like to check the news." Alex suddenly inquired politely. Johnny said "Heh, it'd look bad on me if I didn't. But the news? Well, to each their own."

Johnny went a little ahead to type a passcode into the nearby door, and Alex took advantage of that to grab Shina's shoulder and forcibly turn her around. Shina was about to say something when Alex put a hand across her mouth. Then with a 'shush' the boy grit his teeth a bit and whispered while glancing around at Johnny "I don't get it…Johnny and May shouldn't be in the same area now if I'm right about the time period."

Lifting her hand to gently push Alex's away, Shina responded quietly "Events might be playing differently here. Lets just see how it goes." She then turned as the door was heard unlocking, but didn't mind sparing a second to look back and say "Checking the news IS our best bet to get our facts straight."

She then happily followed Johnny along deeper into the Mayship as Alex tightly folded his arms against his chest, gripping his shoulders and thought _"Events playing out differently…Guess it's to be expected. It'd be weird if everything was the same as we know it to be. But then again…"_

Visions of that vile purple aura showed up in his head, but with a firm blink he shook and muttered "No, we haven't seen that yet. This couldn't be their doing…" He wanted to assure himself with that, but the concerns lingered within even as the two of them went to the deck.

The deck had a very clear glass dome that allowed a fantastic view of the gallant ocean waves and bright blue sky outside. There was a pool in the center with a couple dolphins inside and a few palms trees around it that reached up to the ceiling. The entrance to the cockpit was just visible in the upright part of the area, and an iron grated staircase led the way up there.

On the northern part of the room was a holographic screen projecting an unknown TV show from a spherical probe planted into the floor. And for flourish, a large silver skull insignia was right above the door the three just went through.

On deck was not just May, but a few others girls as well. They all had on a common sailor top and short jeans, with differing colors and features on each ensemble. Certainly, Johnny had gathered a colorful cast of girls on this ship of his. The moment he stepped onto the deck, Johnny clapped his hands a couple times and the girls there paid attention.

"We're going to have some guests onboard for a bit. They helped us combat that nasty Gear, so I'd like to give them the ol' Jellyfish welcome." His address was commendable in it's sincerity, considering he's a pirate, and besides May the girls cheerfully proclaimed "Welcome aboard!"

Gesturing out to the left at a big-boned woman with creamy white hair and a silky clean apron, Johnny politely asked "Think you can whip up some drinks for our guests, Leap?" They nodded their head and jollily asked "Anything our guests would prefer?"

Shina clapped her hands and with eyes lit up asked "I haven't had a lemon soda in a long time!" Blushing out of a slip of her manners, she continued "I-If that's ok, ma'am."

"We have plenty of that aboard. And how about you?" Leap glanced over at Alex, who bluntly replied "No thanks, I don't-" A light budge in the gut from Shina's shoulder made him grunt before he murmured "I-I guess I wouldn't mind a soda too…"

"I'll have them ready before you can even blink." Leap rushed off, her speed betraying her size as she hustled to the door on the other end of the room. Johnny, with a dull look in his eyes, lowered his hat and said "I needed a drink too Leap…"

Perking up and swerving his upper body around, the man pointed at the two and said "Make yourselves at home, and don't be afraid to ask for anything." He then started moving away when Shina asked "You're not going to relax with us Mr. Johnny?"

"Heh, I'll join you in a bit, there's something I gotta check up on first." His tone wasn't as jolly, and he gave the two a wave of the hand as he left. It didn't take long after for Leap to come back with a fresh cold can of soda for the duo. Offering his thanks dryly, Alex walked over to the palm tree closest to the TV screen and leaned against it. The screen changed to the local news channel as they were talking about weather in that Illyaria place May mentioned.

Alex popped open the soda with his mind and drank from it without a glance it's way. The liquid fizzled and he squirmed a bit. Looking the can over, he commented "Huh, sour" and then took another ship. A light smile cracked his face as the sour feeling passed through his body. Then he looked back at the screen and said somberly "Watching news, sipping soda…Yep, it's like I'm home."

About twenty minutes pass, and Shina has found herself conversing with some of the Jellyfish Pirates. They seemed to enjoy her company, and a very wide smile was on the girl's face when it wasn't jabbering away. All the while, May stayed her distance, leaning against her anchor with a grumpy look on her face.

A girl with brown hair and a white and blue sailor top and hat broke away from the conversation and ran over to May. "Something the matter May?" The girl sighed and grumpily responded "April, I don't like that girl. She's up to something, I can just feel it."

Smiling as she patted her friend on the back, April told her "You're overthinking things. I think she's pretty nice." May gripped the anchor's handles tightly and the ground creaked as she pressed down. A feral growl escaped her lips along with a scathing remark "That vixen has you all bewitched."

"Or maybe you're just jealous." April stopped herself from being too harsh, but even the most gently presented statement would've triggered May's anger. The girl swung her head up with a flustered look on her face as she exclaimed "S-She may be tall, she might have long hair and ridiculous curves, but she'll never have Johnny when I have spent more time with him!"

Unaware of Shina's approach, May leaps back and shrieks as the girl says 'Hi!' to her politely. April smiles and with a chuckle says "I'll leave you two alone" before going on her merry way. May stretched her arm out and proclaimed "W-Wait…! April!"

When she was alone with Shina, May drooped her arms atop her anchor and had a dejected look in her eyes. "Greeeattt…" May slowly pulled herself up and looked at Shina, whose expression was so delighted it filled her mind with disgust.

"What do you want?" May asked while turning and leaning against her anchor. Shina stepped around and looked the girl in the eyes to ask "I was hoping we could talk. I think we got off on the right foot, so…"

"I'm not really in the mood." May moped and turned her head away. Shina closed her eyes a bit and said in earnest "…I'm not here for Johnny, if that's what you're worried about."

"I don't believe you. Then WHY are you here?" May scoffed. Shina took a couple steps forward and stated "Well we had to stop the Gear before it ruined your ship. But besides that, me and Alex came to this world to save my people."

"…Huh?" May looked back a bit over her shoulder. Shina nodded and continued to explain "We're looking for these artifact pieces to reach something that will give me enough power to save my people from a tyrant. One just happens to be on this world."

"…Well we don't have one." May replied a little loosely. Shina giggled and told her "Johnny said as much. But your TV will help us make our next move."

May paused and after an aloof glance turned around and asked with a puzzled expression "Why are you telling me all this?" Shina grimaced and was silent until she broke out a gentle giggle "Heheh…I was being pretty honest huh? Can't help it, you remind me of my little sis."

"What?"

"Weeeeell, with a lot more spunk." Shina winked with a pointer finger held before her chest. After a few seconds May moaned a little and grabbed onto her anchor.

"You're fighting for your family, and here I was calling you a shameless hussy." As the anchor was picked up, Shina picked up on the somber look on May's face and told her "Apology accepted. Friends?"

Shina held her hand out, and though May widened her eyes in shock she cracked a half-hearted grin and shook her hand. May then said to Shina "Heh, now I'm jealous that you have a family."

"Huh?" Shina blinked as May hauled the anchor over her shoulder and explained quietly "I never knew my mom and dad…All I know is that we're 'Japanese'."

May scratched the side of her mouth and muttered "Now I'm the one being pretty honest…" To her surprise though, Shina picked her off the ground and embraced her in a warm hug against her chest.

"You might not have parents May, but you DO have a family. Cherish them as much as you can."

Stunned, May took a moment to register that before muttering "Johnny…April…Everyone…Yeah, _they_ are my family." Then she accepted the hug by embracing Shina as well, and this lasted for a few seconds. With Shina letting go, she thought in a melancholy manner _"At least, for a moment, it felt like I was with you again sis…"_

When May was back on the ground, Shina folded her arms back and proclaimed "Alright, enough of that! We're being moping when there's plenty of fun to have!" May perked up and with a fist pumped high said "Yeah! Hey, let me introduce you to our dolphins!" The two moved over to the pool for some R&R. Alex glanced at them and took a sip of his soda, not realizing he was sucking air out now.

"Well…not like we can do anything else." Alex looked back at the TV and saw they were talking about some strange sport involving balls and flying electric goals. "How LONG does this go on for?"

As he goes for yet another ship, he receives a nudge in the shoulder by something cold and turns back. Johnny was there holding another lemon soda in one hand while carrying an assumedly alcoholic lemon drink in the other.

"Unless you like the taste of air you might wanna take this." His humor at the forefront, Johnny kept the soda out until Alex crumbled the first can, tossed it back, and swiped the new one in his grasp. After cracking it open, he heard air release from Johnny's bottle as he leaned back on the tree beside Alex.

A frosty fog rose from the lip of the bottle and Johnny took a brief swig in sync with Alex. "Ah…nothing like a cold drink on a beautiful fall day." Johnny lowered his bottle beside his hip and glanced at Alex "I'd offer you something stronger if you were a little older."

Offended, Alex looked back and replied "What the hell, you thought Shina was older!" Johnny smiled and said "Can you blame me? A body like that not being legal, that's the real crime. You on the other hand? I'd reckon you're about 15."

"Big deal, I can handle a bit of alcohol." Alex boasted proudly. Johnny made a merry jest "I don't need 'poisoning minors' to be on my record kid" but then after a momentary lapse came to a realization.

"Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't think you told me your names."

With a haughty raise of the head, the boy spoke "Alex. Alex Whiter." Johnny gestured at him with the hand holding the bottle and replied "Not a bad name."

"So I thought you had something to take care of." Alex bluntly pointed out, with the man giving a swift response of "I finished."

"I guess so. What we're you even doing?" Johnny lifted his head up and said in the midst of taking another drink "For a question like that, we're going to have to make an exchange. You can answer one of my questions afterwards."

" _Hmph, not like he'd have much to ask."_ Alex said dully after "Yeah yeah, go for it."

"Truth be told, lately May's been having some headaches. I don't know what's causing them, but I suspect it has something to do with her Japanese heritage." Johnny looked over at May, who was helping Shina pet a dolphin that spat a bit of water their way.

"I'm hoping to find a certain doctor. I heard rumors he's in Illyaria right now, and if I can get a hold of him he'll be able to work on May." Johnny lowered his hat and smiled "We're pirates, we can't exactly waltz into a normal hospital asking for help."

"The problems that come with being a pirate, eh? A pirate's life is definitely NOT for me…" Alex interjected, and after a chuckle Johnny said "Well, I can't just quit now. The Jellyfish Pirates are dedicated to stealing from the rich to give to the poor, and we've helped plenty of people out by being the 'bad guys'."

"Hrmmm…"

"And for all the times this crew has helped me, I'd willingly help them twice over. That's just what family does." When Johnny was done, Alex quietly glugged down his soda to the last drop before saying "Well, I'm glad you've stuck around, and I hope things work out."

"I'd wager luck will be on our side." Johnny finished off his drink and then spun the bottle out of his hand. Once the lip landed on his pointer finger he balanced it and said "Now then, my turn…So you've known that girl for a while now?"

"Shina? Hmph, we've been traveling for a little over nine months in search of something that can help save her sister." Alex crumpled the can and tossed it back, and with a sly grin Johnny replied "A noble goal. So…" with a point of the bottle towards Shina he asks nonchalantly "Is she your girlfriend?"

Alex flinched and jerked his head to the right to exclaim "She's just a friend!" Johnny said in a shocked tone "Really? Color me surprised, she seems your type."

"Says the man who couldn't guess her age right." The boy resorted to bluntness in self-defense, continuing on to say "Well, you got your question out of the way."

"Now hold on a second there partner. Consider anything after this to be an addendum to the topic. Besides, it's rude to ignore questions." Johnny smirked, and with a flustered glare in his eyes Alex turned back to find the TV was still talking about sports _"Oh GOD will they show some news already?!"_

"Look, if there are three things I know well, it's luck, life, and love. You don't have to use my advice, but I'd appreciate it if you listen. It won't take long." Alex crossed his arms and with a 'harumph!' said "Well I can't stop you."

Johnny lifted his head up and folded his arms behind it, saying suavely to the boy "Don't take time for granted. Nine months may not seem like much, but imagine being away from family for that long. Days go by…you don't get to say 'hi' to your mother, you won't be able to smile with your sister…your father won't be there to play cards with you." There was a melancholy weight to the end of that sentence, and Johnny covered his eyes with his hat momentarily.

"I can tell just by looking you've been through some hard times, but don't let your emotions stay stone cold. A lady like her…I reckon she'll need a shoulder to lean on."

Alex lowered his head and thought about it a little, telling Johnny after a sigh "Yeah, maybe…" The man then mentioned "And if a romance blooms from those comforting flowers, then hey, I'll personally fund the wedding."

"Lets not push it Johnny." Alex responded, and the man held his hands out to reply "Heh, well…alright. Now was that so bad?"

The boy swiveled his head a bit before mustering a response of "Well, the truth is…" Suddenly, the TV screen starts to twitch with a terrible static, the image on it changing between the news and a person floating in the sky.

Alex grit his teeth and Shina widened her eyes. Johnny stepped away from the tree and with a surprised expression said "What the…? Is someone hijacking our signal?" He turned around as the image on screen came into focus and at the top of the stairs April proclaimed "It's not just our signal! We're getting confirmation of every broadcast across the planet being hijacked!"

"What the hell…" Johnny faced the TV and bit his lower lip as the person on screen became crystal clear. They were a brown-skin female with a white cloak that had something resembling teeth on the bottom rim. Their hair was long and silky white, with a cap atop their head that looked like a pair of rabbit ears, hung in place by a belt around her head. They stared through the screen with their pale orange eyes and said in a plainly robotic tone "I declare war on all the world."

Shina shuffled over to Alex's side and whispered into his ear "So this is the time period we ended up arriving at." Alex gripped his fists and said "The time of the Valentines. Then that can only mean…"

The robotic girl continued just as coldly "All those unworthy to stand upon it, will be destroyed. The future…" with a change to a gruesome rasp she leaned her head forward and gave a fiercely fanged grin _"…will become the past…!"_

The TV shut off instantly, and Johnny muttered "That looked like another one of those Valentines. This isn't good…" The man suddenly dashed off without another word. Alex turned to Shina and told her amidst the brief panic raised in the ship "Ok, I think we know enough now. This is just like how the aura trail acted in Crash's world."

"Uh-huh! The artifact piece we're looking for HAS to be in the Backyard. The trail doesn't track if it's in an alternate dimension." Shina said while tapping a finger against the side of her head. Alex nodded in agreement and with a gesture suggested "So either we track down Sol Badguy and get his help, or go after Ramlethal and force her to take us there."

"I think we'd have better luck finding Sol."

"Then we need to get out of here. We don't have time to say goodbye."

The notion made Shina let out a saddened sigh, but she nodded her head and the two of them quickly made their way for the exit door. By the time they were gone Johnny had returned, proclaiming with his hand cupped around his mouth "May! Where are you May?!" When the girl didn't respond despite his cries, Johnny bit his lower lip and muttered "Ah hell, why now…"

 _Next Time: Burning Blood_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Keep Yourself Alive I: Sky Should be High**

Following their departure from the Jellyfish Pirates, Alex and Shina took a few days going around the planet searching for information on the location of Sol Badguy. Eventually, they got word from an Illyrian soldier of their King going to meet up with Sol in the town of Neo Newyork. A quick flight to American soil landed them in this famed town, where they would wait for any signs of the infamous bounty hunter.

Finding themselves sitting down at a Cowboy inspired café in the middle of town, the duo took in the sights. There were many buildings that were towering in scope, and blended a technological coating with an ancient Roman inspired flair. In turn, other buildings maintained a small, comfortable feel and we're mostly used as restaurants or shops.

The people of this world, while still wholly human, wore nothing but stylized clothing with various patterns and fancy ornaments attached to them. Alex realized quickly that the two of them really stuck out from the crowd when he saw at least a dozen people looking their way.

Leaning back in his mahogany chair with an arm and leg limply held out, Alex said "Hey Shina, haven't you noticed we're always the oddest looking people on each world we visit?" Shina, who had put on a cowboy hat and a pair of sunglasses while sipping a cup of warm tea, responded swiftly "Huh? No, hadn't really noticed."

"I'm amongst humans, yet I feel like an alien." Alex sighed and pulled his head back, murmuring "Not that it'd be any different on my Earth…" Shina perked her head up and asked "Ya say something Alex?"

"Forget about it, have you been keeping an eye out for Sol?" Alex said as he looked out towards the bustling city streets and squinted. Shina lowered her sunglasses a little and showed that her eyes were shut, but that just let her better observe the auras of every person in the area.

"I'm looking for something bright red and fiery." She told him before nudging the glasses back up, Alex telling her "We're watching the only path that leads to the ferry to the place where he'd meet up with the King. We have to intercept Sol before those two can meet up."

Shina nudged Alex's resting elbow with her cup and said "Have some tea while we wait." Alex looked at her with a disbelieving glance and told her bluntly "You've had tea every stop we've made. Aren't you getting sick of it?"

"I quite like how it feels going down." Shina said prior to taking another sip, and with a shake of the head the boy replied "Yeah yeah, whatever. It's not my type of drink."

"Any you DO like?" She inquired with great interest. Alex waved a hand out and said "I didn't mind that soda we had back on the Mayship."

"Geez, I hope Johnny and May are ok now that you mention it." Shina muttered quietly as she placed the cup down. Alex shook his head and said "I guess I do feel guilty leaving them behind after their hospitality, but we have a mission to focus on."

"Mmm…" Shina ran a finger around the damp lip of her cup while deep in thought. Her mind only wandered for a few seconds before being sharply brought by something catching her eye. Thrusting her body over the table, Shina said "Got 'em!"

Alex slammed a hand down on the table and looked out to the crowd. If the sight of a brown-haired man with a heavy metal bandana wasn't enough to indicate Sol's presence, then the blonde adolescent boy following him while carrying a flag across the back of his shoulders would be. Pulling himself away from the table, Alex said "Alright finally. Lets hope he'll be willing to cooperate."

He was the first away from the café as Shina left the hat and sunglasses on the table along with a few bills she happened to find on the ground earlier. As the waiter came to collect she said "Thanks for the service, I'd give it five stars!" and then vaulted off the nearby railing to catch up with Alex.

Shina ran ahead a bit and while waving her hand out proclaimed "Hey! Hold up Mr. Badguy!" The boy following the bounty hunter turned around and leaned his head back against the pole of his flag. With a spunky tone befitting his age he asked "Hey old man, did you hear that?"

Sol kept walking until Shina called out "Hey!" again, then with an elderly grumble he gripped his strange rectangular shaped red and white sword and grabbed the back of his neck. Turning around while moving his head to crack the muscles, the man barely gave the approaching Shina and Alex his attention while asking gruffly "What the hell do you want?"

For a moment, Alex stood cautiously back and checked over the two. The boy, who he knew was named Sin, looked to be as old as Shina and roughly as tall as her. He had a curious grin on his face and a brown eye patch over his right eye. His outfit consisted of an odd white jacket with blue and brownish trimming along with a white and blue undershirt connected by a strap. He kept his large blue clothed flag held in his white gloved hands and wore white trousers with two golden loops hanging from each legging and brown shoes. If it wasn't for the smile, he'd look like a real vagabond.

Sol, on the other hand, felt very different. Despite the fire burning inside of him, his body belayed a cold, stand-offish demeanor. His eyes were reddish-brown with an abnormal pressure coming from their gaze. He wears a tight black undershirt with the top of it covered by a red sleeveless jacket, and he wore white jeans to finish the basic ensemble. The black fingerless gloves he wore had a red metal plate on the back, reminding Alex of his own glove, and he wore a belt buckle with the word "FREE" around his waist. In fact, belts were present around most of his body.

When he was done, Alex thought _"Should I really be trusting this to Shina? Ghhh…"_ The girl spoke up while holding a hand out, an innocent smile on her face "I-I'm sorry to stop you like this, but-"

"Did Ky send you?" Sol interrupted bluntly. Shina fluttered her eyes in confusion and said "Well no, but I-" The man turned around and swung his sword over his shoulder before telling her "Then you're wasting my time. Go on, get out of here."

Sin stood still and looked back at Sol, telling him light-heartedly "Ah come on old man, don't be like that. Maybe they have some info on Ramlethal?" Sol gripped his sword tightly and with a firm growl turned around and held the blade beside his hip, lazily holding onto his other pocket before saying "You got five minutes."

Shina clapped her hands and said "Oh thank you! You're the only one who can really help us!" The girl reached into her right pocket and pulled out an object that was two small curved stones connected together. She held it up and got Sol raising his brows a bit as he muttered under his breath "What the hell…How is that thing outputting so much magical power?"

Calmly she explained "This artifact exerts a trail of aura that leads to it's other pieces. But we lost track of the trail once we came to this world." Sin widened his eyes and said "Wait…you're from another world?"

While Sol gripped his sword tightly and quietly moaned, Shina put the artifact away and said "I'd explain but Mr. Badguy gave me a time limit, soooo…Long story short, we had a problem before with this and think what we're looking for is in another dimension. In your case, the Backyard."

Sol perked his head up a bit and though his expression changed little, there was a fiercer glare coming from his eyes as he demanded "And just how the hell do a couple of brats like you know about the Backyard?"

"I wish we could explain, but I don't think we could in three minutes." Shina said honestly, and after lowering his head slightly Sol turned around and told them "Just get out of here. The Backyard's not something you should be messing with."

Before the man took a step away Shina stamped her foot down and proclaimed "We can't turn back! You're the only one we can trust to get us to the Backyard!" Sol was moving slowly towards the docks as Sin looked back and forth at him and Shina, telling her in an apologetic tone "Wish we could help, but the world's kind of in danger right now? Hey, maybe try again once we've kicked Ramlethal's butt!"

Shina shook her head and with blind foresight proclaimed "Please, Frederick, help us!" Alex widened his eyes and thought flabbergastingly _"Are you KIDDING me Shina?!"_ Sol stopped and Sin ran into him while looking back puzzled. Shina clenched a fist against her chest, unaware of Sol gritting his teeth and murmuring "What a pain in the ass…"

As Sin said "Frederick? Old man, is that your-" he was stopped by Sol roughly pushing him aside with the blunt edge of his sword and going to approach Shina. The girl gulped as Sol stopped a few feet away and said with a little more fury than before "Should've known…You thought you could trick me with that innocent bullcrap?"

Shina stared him in the eyes and said "I'm not trying to trick you." Sol suddenly planted his sword in the ground while proclaiming "Like hell you are! What, was one Valentine not enough, the Backyard had to send a second one to try and deal with me?!"

Sin skid beside the old man and told him "A Valentine, seriously? I don't think she looks like one." Sol swung his head for a blunt glare and replied "Quit being a dumbass. Look at Ramlethal, the Valentines can take on any appearance they want!"

The man then grabbed onto his knuckles and cracked them tightly, demanding as flames slightly erupted around his body "Talk damn it, what do you want?!" Alex suddenly leaped in front of Shina and drew his sword at Sol, clenching the blade in both hands and telling him "How about you take your own advice and quit being a dumbass yourself."

"Great, another pain in the ass…" Sol does one hard crack of his knuckles and a fiercer fire erupts out of him, grabbing the attention of the civilians and causing them to steadily keep away from the scene. Sol swings a fist out beside his shoulder and sets it on fire through the vents on his glove's plate, telling Alex bluntly "I don't know what voodoo this Valentine has pulled on you, but if you get in my way I'm not going to pull punches."

"Yeah…" Alex set his sword aflame and coolly told the man "Neither will I." Shina held onto his left shoulder and got him to turn his head back as she asked "Can't we resolve this without fighting?"

"You shouldn't have said his real name then!" Alex said in disbelief before shaking his head and looking at the impatient Sol "Look, just run and blend into the crowd and I'll try and knock him out." Shina pulled back and with a nod then ran off. Sol grit his teeth and exclaimed "Damn it! Sin, go after her!"

Sin pulled his flag out and after spinning it around his back bit his lower lip and said hesitantly "Well, alright…" and dashed after Shina. Sol thrust his right fist out and a thick streak of concentrated fire pierced out towards Alex. With a roar the boy brought his sword forward and met the brunt force of Sol's fist. Pebbles shot up from the ground, hovering around the two until the heat projected burned them to ash.

Alex was pushed back and he hunched forward, and his right wrist twitched in pain. Sol then pulled his fist back and mumbled in an annoyed tone. The boy looked at Sol as he picked his sword up in his left hand and thought _"Wait a second…he doesn't have that strange aura around him. Then that means…!"_

"Hey, are you out of your mind?!" He proclaimed while Sol held his sword beside his hip, lighter side forward, and replied "That sword of yours…It's got a similar power to my Fireseal."

" _He could tell that from one clash? Shit, I forgot he's hiding a lot of intelligence behind that thick skull."_ Alex grit his teeth tightly and stood upright, glancing around to find that most of the people have ran off to a safer location. Sol was doing the same. _"Fine, then I have to deal with this fast…"_

Alex crossed his arms in an 'X' and charged his power, flames weaving back and forth around his body as his blade burned brighter. Sol folded his arms in a more lax manner and his hair and belt ends waved as heat rose up from the ground. He said "I don't care where you got hold of such dangerous magic, but I'm going to put an end to it!"

"Ha! A man like you should know better than to mess with fire if you don't want to be burned!" Alex boasted, hiding well the tension coursing through his muscles. Yet even staring into Sol's serious eyes, the boy cracked a smile and found himself trembling _"Though…this is rather exciting!"_

Alex swung his sword out and sent a wave of electricity at Sol, who leaped over it while bringing his right fist back, energy charging bright in it as he proclaimed "Bandit BRINGER!" Another streak of fire burst out from the glove, lighter than the previous one, but Alex flips back and dodges the punch as it smashes the ground where he stood.

From the crater seared black Sol ripped his fist out and watched as Alex swung his arms out and created an arc of six electric arrows, firing them straight at him. The man raised his sword before his chest and blocked all the arrows save for one that Alex swerved towards Sol's right knee. When it struck some sparks lingered and his balance became lopsided.

The boy swings his left hand out and pulls a lamp post out of the ground, twisting it into a spear that he clamps in his grasp and points at Sol. With a charged forward he thought _"You can handle something like this!"_ However, the man surprised the boy by sliding down on his back and kicking Alex hard in the legs to trip him up.

The momentum of his charge worked against him by sending him flying forward. Alex gasped and tried to get away with flight but Sol quickly punched the boy in the gut while using his Junkyard Dog as support. He then turned around and dragged Alex to the ground, pinning him down while thrusting his sword above his head. The lighter on it ignited brightly and sent energy burning into Sol's fist. Gritting his teeth, Sol sent his punch flying at Alex's face.

The boy blinked and the ground ripped up around him to form a dome, blocking the punch but breaking down to burning dust. Sol flinched as Alex had dug himself away in that moment and he quickly stood up, looking around while tapping his toes on the ground. A rumble underneath made him stop as the ground burst open on both sides of his body.

Through the clouds of dust Sol saw two shadows charging at him, both carrying blades. Only one had a sword on fire, and with a smirk Sol spun to the left and swung his burning fist at the shadow. The dust parted as the fist was inches from connecting, revealing a metallic effigy of Alex whose sword melted in contact with Sol's fist and started to wrap around his arm. The rest of the effigy melted down into a thick pole holding Sol in place and he quickly turned to block the real Alex with his Junkyard Dog.

However the speed advantage belonged to Alex, and with a concise swing the boy managed to meet his mark on Sol's left cheek. Blood was drawn on the tip of the blade and Alex cut deep, but Sol only grimaced a little as he ripped his fist from the steel and brought his Junkyard Dog a little closer so he could punch the blunt edge of the blade.

The sword conducted the flames he put out and unleashed a half-dome blast of yellow flames upon Alex, sending the boy flying far across town. The boy spun to land on his knees, dragging his gloved knuckles through the ground to slow down. Even when he ground to a halt, looking up brought him little comfort as Sol was flying right at him with his foot out ready for a kick.

" _To hell with that…!"_ Alex widened his eyes and from nothing unleashed a powerful gale towards Sol to slow him down. As the man was suspended, Alex stood up and swung his arms out, ripping out a couple water pipes from the ground and pointing them at Sol, spinning his fingers around to swirl the water within as he chilled it.

"Time for you to cool off!"

Before the boy could come close to firing the water, Sol grit his teeth and swung his Junkyard Dog back, opening it up to reveal the Fireseal underneath that burned intensely. The fire launched out and propelled Sol like a rocket so he could finish his kick straight into Alex's face. The boy's face contorted as Sol's sole dug into his skin, ending with a crackshot explosion that launched him back through the window of a nearby building.

It took a moment, but the rest of the glass shattered from the shockwave of Sol's power. The man landed on the ground and cracked his knuckles, growling out bluntly "You can still walk away from this alive kid. Just forget about that crummy Valentine!"

Alex stood up from within the store, buried underneath a pile of shirts and pants. He stayed in the shadows and looked outside, watching as Sol sealed his Junkyard Dog and dislodged a bullet from the lighter. He wasn't moving and stared into the store, waiting for the right opportunity.

As the stores' clothes slid off him, Alex peered into Sol's unperturbed eyes and thought _"Of course he'd be a pain in the ass. Come on Alex, think, THINK!"_ From the clothes slipped off a hanger that hung on his wrist. With a grin, Alex's mind sparked with brilliance.

Sol folded his arms and charged his energy a little while saying loudly "5...4...3...2..." Shooting out like bullets from the shop were a few thin, twisted metal wires. Sol widened his eyes and swerved his body just right to avoid them, watching as Alex burst out of the store with great speed and swung his sword at Sol. The man stood his ground and smashed the blunt edge of his blade against it in defense. With fires raging around both their bodies and the ground cracking, they grit their teeth and stared each other down.

The tension between them is broken when pain sharply pierces into the back of Sol's right shoulder and his thighs. "Grrr…what the hell?!" Sol didn't have to look back to notice the wires had flown back and lodged themselves into his skin, burying deep through his nerves. Alex got the advantage in strength and started pressing Sol down, speaking to him bluntly as his sword started charging fiercely with electricity.

"You like to play hard?! Well I like to play dirty! Lets see how you handle a million volts of raw electricity!" All at once, that electricity fires upon Sol in a gigantic blast that rips apart the ground below his feet and sends bolts firing in all directions, shutting off the lamps and cars in the immediate vicinity.

Alex was launched back in recoil, landing amongst the broken glass. The electricity stuck around for a bit and the boy held onto his sword tightly. Then, with a twitching of his fingers, Alex shook his head and muttered "No, not enough…" The glass around him flew away from a shockwave of power that spread the electricity away and replaced it with a burst of fire. Sol stood in the middle of it, a few marks across his clothes and some bloody scars across his face.

Grabbing the back of his neck, Sol cricked it around and said "So you're not just some snot-nosed punk." With the ground still shaking around him, Sol broke the flames off and commented "Didn't think this'd be that much of a pain in the ass…Those Valentines bring nothing but trouble. Damn it…"

"Cut it out! Shina is not some damn doll!" Alex exclaimed, and Sol gripped his Junkyard Dog tightly and told him "You need to grow-up and face reality kid. Whatever feelings you have for that puppet mean nothing to her."

Alex gripped his sword tightly, clenching teeth just as much as fire raged around his body and charred the ground. "I'm not going to listen to the words of a paranoid nut job. Either get off your high-horse and help us, or shut the hell up and fight!"

"…I'll beat the lesson into you then." Sol pounded his open palm and gruffly grunted. Alex leaped straight at Sol for another round. At a safe distance behind a nearby building, Shina poked her head around the corner, gripping the wall tightly while her expression was laced with concern.

"Alex…Sol hasn't even used his Dr-"

"Ah-ha! So this is where you ran off to." The voice of Sin shocked Shina and made her let out a shrill shriek that was drowned by the explosions of the battle nearby. Turning around, Shina drew her rapier at Sin, who stood unflappably in front of her with his flag resting against the wall. With a curious, youthful gaze he looked at Shina and said "Whoa there, calm down. I'm not going to touch you."

"Y-You're not…? Oh right, you don't think I'm a Valentine." Shina caught her breath and dispelled her weapon, leaning against the wall and slinking down 'til she sits perfectly in place. Sin kneels and says "Though you said you're from another world? Wouldn't that make you an alien…?"

Sin held his hands out and wiggled his fingers around, saying playfully "But I read that aliens are ugly and have gooey green tentacles." Shina giggled with a hand at her lips and with a grin of his own Sin snapped his fingers and commented "Hehehe, and what kind of alien has a cute laugh like that huh? It kinda reminds me of my mom's…"

With a dopey expression, Sin pointed at himself and quickly apologized "That…that didn't come out right, did it?" He sat down beside Shina, legs stretched out and arms folded behind his back, the explosions shaking the area not at all affecting his mood. Shina peered around the corner and found Alex being blown straight through a building, and once more she gripped the wall and sighed.

"So hey, what's your name?" Sin's voice pulled her away as she saw him stretching a hand out in greeting. Shina stuttered quickly "S-Shina Aurora…" and then with a swift look back and forth she pointed a finger out and said "I-I really think we should be helping out."

"Well S-Shina Aurora, hate to tell you this, but there's no stopping the old man once he gets like this." Sin folded his arm back behind his head and kicked a leg up over the other, continuing to mention as Shina gave him a pout "Then again, that friend of yours got him to bleed. I didn't even think that was possible."

"All I'm saying is that unless you want to be BBQ, you should hide back here with me." After that Sin's stomach growled loudly and he rubbed it, murmuring "Ah man, now I want some BBQ ribs…"

Shina gripped a fist against her chest and leaned back with a sigh, muttering "I didn't want this to happen…Sorry Alex, I screwed this up badly." Sin looked at her and said "Ah geez, I forgot my name. It's Sin. Nice to meet you S-Shina Aurora."

Shina looked at Sin's innocent, carefree smile for a while, and for now she could find comfort in that. Holding her hand out she said merrily "There's just one 'S' in my name. And it's nice to meet you too, Sin." The two shook hands and thus became friends.

Back with Alex, he had just recovered from an explosive punch to the face as she skids back along the ground. Sol ran right at him as the boy thought in frustration _"The tenacity of a bull, the sheer force of a nuke…"_

Sol stopped and swung his sword out, having it blocked by Alex's own blade. However, that gave a big enough gap for the man to thrust his hand out and grab Alex by the neck. After a smirk, Sol gave the boy a nice firm head butt while letting him go. No flair, no fire, just a simple head butt that sent Alex flying across the ground.

Punching the ground to stop himself, Alex glanced at his sword, the colored triggers on the handle in particular, and thought _"No, I don't need their help. I can beat this bastard on my own!"_ The boy rose to his feet and glared Sol in the eyes as he walked up to him.

"I can keep going for as long as it takes to beat you Sol." He proudly boasted. Sol folded his arms together and charged fire around his body, making the ground tremble as he told the boy bluntly "No, you've lost. I'm ending this now."

Alex widened his eyes and went "What the-" before being punched right in the jugular. The air left his body all at once as Sol swung his sword to the right, pushing Alex back. Another swing was performed at the farthest length he could muster, knocking him further back. Sol then chased the boy and jumped, using his sword for an uppercut on his chin to stun him further. While in mid-air he spun around and kicked Alex's head down, descending into a slash across the right side of his body.

When he landed, Sol went for another disabling punching to the jugular and followed up with a thrust of his sword against Alex's chest. Then, drawing in flames from the Junkyard Dog, Sol threw his right fist back and then fired a powerful punch that scorched part of the sky with a crimson blaze and sent Alex hurtling out past the edge of the city. His body stunned and left tumbling along the rocky outskirts, he knew that Sol had not yet finished.

In town, Sol levitated an inch off the ground and swung his arms out as fire rose around him, some spitting forth from his mouth. The temperature rose around him, searing the ground and melting parts of the buildings nearby until the flames enveloped his form and transformed it into something more malefic. All clothes save for the jacket were replaced with a bright charcoal-like skin that showed off his ripped body. A glowing gear and chain were stuck to his chest, and his face lost all expression save for his burning yellow eyes. His hair was replaced with a rippling horn and a pair of small dragon wings on the sides of his head.

His voice echoed out draconically "This will be about 50 percent!" and then swung his now char-broiled black sword out, a spiked ring symbol burning bright as a shockwave rips through the area. Pulling his sword back as it erupted uncontrollably with fire, Sol rocketed towards Alex and perfectly timed his punch to smash him right in the gut.

For a second, Alex could only gasp in pain as Sol released a massive spurt of searing white and red flames that engulfed his body, followed by the ground below them erupting into a cacophony of magma and pure heat. In the aftermath of that attack, the ground for a hundred feet around was searing red, fires sparking across the air as Sol had his back turned to Alex, who was buried halfway into the ground with his arms scorched black and cinders on his hair.

He could barely open his eyes as he looked up at Sol. The man glanced back and said "If you're wise, you won't get back up." That monstrous appearance vanished in an instant and he turned around, rubbing the back of his neck and muttering "Now for that damn Valentine…"

As Sol strolled back towards the city, Alex weakly held his sword up and coughed up some smoke. His throat, scorched all around, couldn't utter a word. _"D-Damn it…I-I'm not strong enough here!"_ With one burst of strength he frustratingly punched the ground, weakly breathing in and out _"If I wasn't on this world…If my powers weren't weakened…I could beat him with just a finger!"_

Halfway scowling, Alex trembled and raised his sword in front of his face. _"But…this is the hand I'm dealt, isn't it? I'm just not strong enough NOW…not by myself…"_ Looking at the colored triggers on the handle, Alex bitterly thought _"B-But I can't just keep relying on others just because of my own damned weakness!"_

Clenching his sword tightly and closing his eyes, Alex briefly saw Shina's smile and opened them back up, watching as Sol continued towards the city. His heart, buried under a melancholy weight, beat faster and faster as he thought _"What the hell…No…No…What the HELL am I thinking? This isn't about me, not now…!"_

An energy he couldn't explain burned in his body, giving him the strength to swing the sword in front of his body and latch onto all seven handles with his fingers. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he thought _"Your power…Shina is the one who needs to rely on it! She can't survive against Sol…so please, lend her your aid!"_ All at once, those triggers were clicked.

Sol didn't even make it halfway back to the city when his body shuddered against it's will. "Hrmm?" He turned around and stared straight at an orb of burning golden fire where Alex was. The orb rose up and burst, sending a pillar of golden flame towering towards the sky. Sol gripped his sword tightly and murmured "What the hell…" before once more activating his Dragon Install.

The earth healed up around the orb as the skies roared with howling winds and thunder struck down around it. Sol could hear the oceans rage and a chill crept down his spine. The orb then opened from the spreading of crimson-yellow feathery bird wings. They flapped majestically in the presence of their owner as he emerged from the orb all healed up, his body wreathed in golden flames. Alex's appearance had not changed otherwise save for a burning golden light in his eyes. The boy took a few steps along the ground towards Sol, his sword covered in incredibly regal flames, and then paused to raise it towards the draconic man.

"This isn't over, Sol! Even if I have to pound that stubbornness right from your skull, I'm not going to let you lay a hand on Shina! Now…" Alex swung his arms out and set loose a gigantic blast of fire around himself, exclaiming at the top of his lungs "Time for you to witness the true power…OF AN ELEMENTAL OVERLORD!"

 _Next Time: Raging Beasts_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Keep Yourself Alive II: Ride the Fire**

"YAH!" Shina's body jerked upright as waves of power lashed over her body. Goosebumps spread across her tender skin as she clasped her arms together under her chest. Sin looked her way and asked "Whoa, is everything alright?"

The girl laid a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. From here she could see waves of fiery aura spreading vast across the darkness of her vision. "A-Alex?" She muttered, her heart fluttering against her chest. Sin stood up and looked around, asking in a puzzled manner "Hey uhhh…am I the only one sensing that?"

" _A-Alex was holding this much power back? It's s-so divine and…"_ Shina widened her eyes a little and muttered "Wait…there are…fourteen other auras?"

In the middle of the vast wasteland, Sol and Alex stood, looking each other eye-to-eye from forty feet apart. Sol in his Dragon Install burned with draconic crimson, and Alex in his Phoenix Form basked in the radiance of golden fire. Alex raised his left hand up and clenched his fingers a couple times, fire spurting out between them.

Closing his eyes and lifting his head up high to take a breath, he found the air pure around him. _"It's been a while since I've used this power…Thank you, all of you, for helping after all this time."_ Slowly opening his eyes, Alex swung his head down and glared straight at Sol, growling as he grit his teeth "Sorry I have to use you on this world's 'hero'"

Sol stood his ground unflinching in the wake of all that power, and in a guttural tone he said "So you powered up. Think that makes you a big shit now? Stand still, I'm ending this in one punch." Sol reeled his right fist back and the flames around his body grew brighter, most of it concentrating entirely in his hand. He used his sword to charge up a jet that would propel him forward, and launched when the flames crisped in his fist.

"You're going down!" Even in the face of that bellowing boast, Alex planted his feet deep in the ground and awaited the punch with a confident smirk. In an instant Sol was before him with fist half-swung, the ground shaking below him until the attack connected full force against Alex's chest. The fire erupted from the knuckles and blew apart a hefty chunk of the ground behind the boy.

However, Alex didn't even budge, and Sol watched as some green wisps flickered in a space around the boy's chest. Sol couldn't even raise his brows in suspicion before Alex grit his teeth and smashed his forehead against the man's own. Electricity burst forth, a lot of it rocketing to the sky with the crackling boom of a thunderbolt.

Sol skids back ten feet and grips his sword tight. Looking up at Alex, he muttered "What the hell kind of defense was that…" The boy breathed a sigh of relief as those wisps faded from view in a few seconds.

" _Good, that still works…I can do this, I can definitely defeat Sol now!"_ Alex gripped his fist tightly and held it out at Sol, proceeding to then flip it around and tauntingly wave his fingers towards himself. Sol stood up and swung his sword back, charging energy in it greatly and saying "Don't get overconfident, dumbass!"

He then scathed the ground with the tip of his blade and exclaimed "GUN FLAME!" and unleashed a spewing burst of fire straight at Alex. This time a veil of blue wisps appeared in front of Alex to protect him, but he was also nudged back a few inches. Looking down at his feet, the boy thought _"But force still applies. Meh, no big deal."_

Immediately after his Gun Flame, Sol leaped into the air and charged his fist full of energy, throwing out an even stronger Bandit Bringer than before. It had dark crimson flames and punched with three times the force. The same blue veil protected Alex but the ground below him was smashed down into a long crater.

Alex leaped up and spun around, punching Sol across the right side of his face with a fist of electricity. As the man was turned around the boy raised both his fists and after collecting energy smashing them right into the center of Sol's spine. A crack rung out along with a shockwave before the man was sent hurtling straight through the ground, which left bright red cracks along the surface.

Swinging his left pointer finger up, Alex called forth dozens of storm clouds, each of them coursing with lighting, and from the center of them brought forth a rapidly spinning tornado that was just small enough to go into the hole Sol was buried through. The tornado carried with it the electricity, and the violent rotation of those sparks made the very air spasm.

The electric whirlwind whipped apart the surface, grinding it down into a rough and ragged cloud of dust that blew across the wasteland and partially entered the city. Alex held the tornado down with a finger but started to feel some resistance pushing against his concentration. A red glow rose up from the center of the tornado until a few seconds later fire blasted through the whole of the tornado and spread amongst the clouds.

The cloud bursts and embers rained down, with Alex waving his hand to blow out the ones heading for the city. In that time Sol rocketed up and smashed his fist into Alex's chin, encountering a white wisp veil. However, using a burst of fire from his fist to keep the two of them rising, Sol eventually let go and spun his right leg down to kick the boy's head with as much force he could muster, adding in an explosion to propel him further down.

Alex smiled as the wisps stayed up, and he swung his hands out and began to drag golden flames in between his palms. The fire spun around and condensed into an increasingly thicker orb, with Alex suspending himself with a few flaps of his wings as Sol slowly fell towards him. The embers crackled like a sparkler, but despite that noise the boy could hear Sol counting up.

The boy raised his brows but went "Tsk…whatever…" before widening his eyes and exclaiming "PHOENIX FLAME CANNON!" as a gigantic beam of golden flames shot out towards Sol. The man crossed his arms in front of his chest and a thin green orb wrapped around him.

Widening his eyes as Sol pushed right through the flames, Alex thought _"F-Faultless Defense?! Well, this was a waste of fire then…!"_ The boy broke his hands apart to stop the attack and begin pulling back. Sol, however, swung his sword back and dragged the golden flames into it, increasing the luminosity of his blade tenfold.

"You're not going anywhere!" He exclaimed before swinging his sword in a heavy arc, smashing it against Alex's body and releasing a series of golden explosions that sent him hurtling into the ground within a couple seconds. Alex body bounded and jerked a little but a yellow wisp veil protected him from the damaging aspect of the attack.

The boy levitated off the bounce and then flipped back onto his feet as Sol dove down and tried to punch him, cracking the ground and making magma erupt all-around. The boy kept away from that and drew his sword once more, giving it a spin and thinking with a grit of the teeth _"Something's not right here…"_

Sol cracked his neck around and started muttering "Six…six seconds…" for some reason. Alex kept his distance and held his sword up, thinking to himself as a trickle of sweat started to go down the sides of his face _"…Why would he be measuring time?"_

Reviewing this part of the battle thus far, Alex made note of the strange way Sol had been attacking him since the first blow. He was expecting a lot more ferocity from the man, with attacks that would rip the ground asunder with every movement. Instead, they were almost calculated in nature, and his muttering of seconds laid deeply on Alex's thoughts the entire time. When Sol raised his right hand up and clenched it tightly with pure crimson flames, face contorting like he was in the middle of smirking, that was when Alex connected it all together.

" _Son of a bitch! He figured the shields out!"_

At that moment Sol shot forth and tried to smash Alex's face in with a blunt streak of condensed flames, but the boy ducked to the right and tucked his wings so they wouldn't even be nudged. Sol gave him a sideways glance and said "Got you now, punk!" Alex thrust his left hand under his other arm and sent out a burst of wind to push himself away.

Standing up and skidding along the ground, Alex swung his sword out and gathered flames while thinking _"I wasted four of them already, I can't let him burn through anymore!"_ He rapidly swung his sword out and sent waves of fire hurtling towards Sol, who cancelled them all out with a powerful swing of the blade.

" _Keep your distance Alex, he has very few projectiles!"_ The boy motivated himself as his adrenaline pumped through his body. Then he whipped his sword above his head and struck it with a thunderbolt, leaping back as Sol tried to rush him with a punch and then smashing the ground with his blade to send an erupting wave of electricity out.

Sol took the attack head on and grimaced as the electricity left steam burning out of his skin. Alex then let go of the blade and turned it around, grabbing the handle in both hands and stabbing the ground to send fire spreading across the cracking ground. Surrounding Sol with these cracks, Alex churned the rocks with the flames and created boiling magma. The ground around Sol was devoured by a tornado of magma, leaving him standing on a solitary platform as it lashed out around him.

Alex stood past the rising magma and slowly stepped back, watching as Sol was suspiciously still atop the platform. Biting his lower lip, Alex dragged the magma around Sol and began to bury him within it. Defiantly, Sol punched down on the platform and launched a burning chunk of rock and magma at Alex, who didn't have time to dodge it and thus had a brown wisp veil appear to protect him.

"…Whatever…" The boy brushed it off carelessly and clenched his fists, consuming Sol completely in magma and solidifying it into a thick shell. Alex held his right hand up, looking at the hardened cocoon, and with a smirk spoke "Ah, what the hell, I'll say it…"

"MAGMA BURIAL!" Alex exclaimed in a roughened voice while clenching his fist tightly. The hard magma crunches down on Sol and through the cracks spills out some black, burning liquid. Pulling his arm back ripped the rocks apart and Sol dropped to the ground still in his Dragon Install form. His arm looked a little twisted, but not something he couldn't heal from.

Alex stayed back at a length Sol's blade couldn't reach and inquired "Are you done being stubborn, dumbass?" Sol lifted his head, a care barely on his eyes. The boy looked him over as just let out a growl, and noticed that his left foot was gripping onto the handle of his sword. As fire charged in the blade, Alex jerked back and leaped into the air as Sol's blade jettisoned fire to spin his body around. The longer length of the leg in comparison to the arm would've made the blade reach had Alex not jumped.

The boy thrust his arms out and rocketed back with air as Sol lifted his leg to try and cut him again. Sol then released his foot's grip and used fire from his palm to rise up and grab the blade in his left hand, following by him landing on his knees and smashing his sword into the ground. With fire bursting forth from the back of the blade, Sol launched forward at high-speeds.

" _I have to hit him harder or he'll never go down!"_ Alex spun away from the path of Sol's charged but the man turned on a dime and fired right back at the boy while rising up, going for a punch from his right fist. Alex flipped back and with a thrust of his left hand called forth a diamond wall from the ground to block Sol's path. The man spun around and stabbed his sword into the wall, charging up tons of fire and spreading cracks through the diamonds until it shattered while simultaneously propelling himself forward.

Alex smirked and held his arms out to grab onto the chunks of diamond. After leaping over Sol again he turned around and began tossing the diamonds at him, timing it so some would hit his legs once he again spun back to face him. When the diamonds lodged into his muscles, Sol lowered his eyes and then leaped off the ground, flying straight after Alex while holding his hand out.

The boy widened his eyes and ducked away from Sol's attack, gathering the diamonds into a spear and throwing it towards the man's chest. Sol punched forward with his blade and rocketed right back while extending his leg to kick Alex in the back, and an icy-blue wisp veil appears to protect him from that and the explosion after.

" _Ghhh…! One shield left for this round!"_ Alex spun around as Sol pulled back, noticing there were still no signs of wear on his burning body. Gritting his teeth, the boy continued on his line of thinking _"He's too damn durable!"_

From the very edge of town, Shina has wandered over to observe the battle, her mouth agape in awe of all the energy flowing out from Alex. Sin vaults over from behind via his flag and said in a panic "Hey hey, it's dangerous out here!" He lays a hand on her shoulder and with a couple tugs continued "We don't wanna get caught up in this, come on!"

Shina glanced back and muttered "Alex…is this a fight you can even win?" while clasping her fists close to her chest. Closing her eyes and instinctively trembling, Shina shook her head and said "I didn't want this to happen. If you live you'll probably hate me, and…"

Her hand moved towards to her bracelet, which contained two stones with different symbols marked onto their form. She rubbed the one with the crossed guns and continued "I'm not strong enough to help, even though I want to so much…" Sin have her a light sock to the back of the noggin and said "I don't think you should be talking to yourself. It's a liiiiitle bit loony."

Shina looked back at Sin and asked him quietly "Hey Sin…do you even understand what's happening?" The boy perked his eyebrows up and said "Uhhh, the old man's activated that Dragon Install thing of his."

Resting against his planted flag, Sin folded his arms and commented "I don't think I've ever seen him struggle like this. Your friend's pretty strong!" Shina's expression lit up and she turned back towards the flame scorched battlefield, saying with an ounce of vigor in her voice "Y-Yeah…that's right, Alex is very strong!"

Back in the heat of battle, Alex had started throwing out punches of fire separated from the rest of his body. While not as powerful physically, they did force Sol into using his sword to protect himself if he wanted to cover any distance between the two. Alex kept punching faster and faster to try and overwhelm the man with fists ablazing, getting so frantic in fact that his skin began to burn from friction.

Eventually he was almost level with the surface and had to turn to land on his feet, leaping back the moment he connected when Sol ripped through the punches and tried to land one of his own. Then, a second later, a blast of fire erupted out from under Alex's feet and consumed his body, activating a red wisp veil around himself.

Gritting his teeth, Alex thought _"Now there's a minute between the next round. I can't let him get any blows on me until then!"_ He then sprung high into the air and clasped his hands together, pulling them apart to make a very concentrated web of electricity. Firing it out, he made it grow much bigger until it left no room for Sol to escape. The man stood there and swung his sword up, sending a wave of fire to slice through the web.

That was merely a distraction as Alex ripped apart the ground around Sol and trapped him within a small mountain, binding that all in the toughest vines, freezing it solid with the thickest ice, and then landing on the ground and pulling his fist back to ready his final blow in the form of a fiery fist charged with fire hotter than magma. The ground around his feet charred, and he started counting down from fifteen.

"15...14...13...12..."

Cracks formed around the elemental cage and eventually a pillared eruption of dark fire roared forth, consuming it all down to the last atom. Sol stood in the middle of those flames with draconic wings spread out for just a moment, but with his teeth grit Alex smiled and said "That's right you son of a bitch…stay there…"

Sol reared his right fist back and charged up more fire than he ever had before. He was preparing his strongest attack, the Tyrant Rave Beta, Alex knew that for a fact. But he was ready for that and charged forth as fast as he could. He swung his fist forward right as Sol punched the air to unleash an incredible spiral beam of crimson fire that melted through the rock like butter across half a mile of surface.

Another green wisp veil appears around Alex and protects him as he pushed through the Tyrant Rave Beta and swung his fist out towards Sol. Even wreathed in those flames, Alex slammed his fist into his target and exclaimed "Ha, you thought I had just seven shields didn't you?!" Proudly and gleefully chuckling, Alex failed to noticed that beyond the fire Sol had blocked the attack with his sword and with a magic seal in front of it managed to hold the fist in place.

"Just another stupid trick…" Sol grumbled as he grabbed onto the handle of his sword with both hands, gripping it tightly as the blade opened up to reveal the piercing golden glow of the Fireseal. "And I'm doing playing around now. Lets see how you handle the Saint Ontario!" The blade burned brighter and brighter, becoming searing white in a matter of seconds as Alex glanced Sol curiously and proclaimed "I still have my shields you dumbass, what do you think a little more fire is going to-!"

In a moment's notice, the crimson flames of the Tyrant Rave were absolutely eclipsed by the dire white blaze unleashed from Sol's sword. Alex was dragged away from the man as a wave of pressure washed across his body. Three veils shattered in front of him as the flames lashed against his body and scorched his skin. Alex stamped his feet into the slowly decaying ground and thought _"D-Damn it…I forgot he had this ace up his sleeve! These shields can't handle foreign energies!"_

Sol kept this energy up for a while until he saw the flames were advancing upon a mountain in the distance. Immediately sealing his sword stopped the energy from releasing, and he kneeled down a little as white embers went out across his body. "Hah…hah…still too much…" Sol was panting as he swung his sword out beside him and looked out towards the glowing chasm scarred into the Earth, picking out Alex's presence due to the few embers that lingered on the boy's body.

Sol cracked his neck and yelled out "How the hell are you still alive…Tsk, you're more of a pain in the ass than any Valentine!" Alex stood in the middle of the chasm as the heat died out, his body worked into a ferocious sweat as he stared madly up at Sol and muttered "Too strong…he's too damn strong…!"

His vision blurred red and he suddenly swung his gloved hand in front of his face, grasping the wrist tightly as he growled out in a furious, vengeful tone "I-I will not let you win! Not while you threaten her dreams!"

Reasoning shot and violence at the forefront of his mind, Alex exclaimed "RECOGNIZE PASSWORD: LUMINA AND AB-" If it were not for the sudden appearance of a shadow cast down upon the two fighters, he would've finished. Instead, he paused and looked up along with Sol, noticing a large white ship flying overhead.

From that ship came a voice over a radio that called out in a regal and refined manner, sounding as though it was spoken by a young man _"Sol! Enough of this! I'm ordering the both of you to stand down!"_ Sol grumpily deactivated the Dragon Install and placed a hand on the side of his head, causing a miniature set of light-blue glyphs to appear beside his ear.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, 'your majesty'?" His bitter sarcasm came through at the end, but the same radio called out to him patiently _"Just stay there and I'll come explain. That goes for you too, whoever you are…"_ The person spoke concernedly towards Alex before signing off and beginning the descent of the ship a safe distance away from the scars of battle.

Alex scowled and muttered "This is how it ends…?! You got to be fucking JOKING!" he swung his arm out and angrily dispelled his Phoenix Form before leaping right out of the chasm. Turning his head to Sol with a finger brandished, he was only stopped from yelling every explicit word in the universe by Shina's cry out to him.

"Alex, are you alright?!" She ran up to him, going right past a frustrated Sol in order to do so. She looked him in the eyes, which were still filled with a clear hatred, and told him perkily "Now that Ky's here, we need to regain focus on our mission, ok?"

Alex reached out around Shina and pointed at Sol, biting his lower lip and taking in a deep breath before turning back to her and saying "He didn't even have that strange aura around him, and you expect me to just ignore that he tried to murder us both?!" Shina looked him in the eyes and admitted with a goofy grin "W-Well I was the one who screwed that up, hehe…"

"Shina!" The boy yelled out as she quickly raised a finger to her chin and said while tapping it "More importantly, when were you going to tell me you had that much power at your disposal?" Alex immediately went silent, his anger replaced by sheer embarrassment. He folded his arms against his chest and glanced aside to think _"S-She doesn't need to know I did it for her. Not like I actually care…"_

"Look, I have my reasons." Was the excuse he gave, but with a nod of the head Shina said rather understandingly "Sure, sure. Whenever you want to say them, I'll be here to listen. Now, hows about we go meet up with the King?"

Alex brushed a hand out beside his shoulder and said "Whatever…but I'm keeping my eye on Sol." He stood between Shina and the man, who focused his glare on the two while gripping his sword tightly. He lazily strolled over to the landing ship as Sin ran up beside him finally and said "I didn't expected Ky to break up the fight. You were pretty tight out there though old man, guess age doesn't rust the ol' gears, huh? Hehehe…"

Sol grumbled, and Sin widened his eyes and said "Ah come on, it wasn't that bad of a jo-" "That last attack…" Sol muttered out, earning a look of surprise his way from Sin. Sol continued with a slightly crumpled look on his face "…He could've killed me with that…"

It didn't take long for the four to reach the ship, a staircase already extended out from the side. Upon close inspection, the ship had a golden cross on top and had a very holy and regal look to it. Very befitting for the king who emerged from the interior a moment later. He wore a white and blue uniform with cape-like shoulders and a belt with the word "HOPE" on his waist. His long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail and he kept a white-blue sword beside his right hip that carried the power of electricity, as Alex quickly determined. The man was probably in his mid-20's but carried the maturity and charisma of someone far beyond his years. Even so, once he stepped foot on the ground, he received the same ol' bluntness from Sol.

"Alright Ky, what's the big idea?!"

The man approached Sol and said gently "I was about to ask you the same thing, Sol. The last thing I should need to hear from my reports is that you are wreaking havoc in a populated area." Even as Sol diverted his glance, Ky kept looking him straight on and asked "But I imagine there is a good reason, yes?"

Hiding his eyes under his bangs of hair, Sol grumbled "Why don't you ask the Valentine standing right over there?" Ky looked over at Shina and said in a stumbling tone "T-This fine young lady is a Valentine? I have a hard time believing that."

Sin smirked and said proudly "See, I told ya old man." Sol bluntly looked at Ky and exclaimed "Then you're just as blind as your idiot son!" Ky closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, explaining with calmness surrounding his very being "I know you may have a hard time believing me Sol, but this woman is not a Valentine. We can confirmed that with the information at hand."

"Information at hand? Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sol's interest took off, not in a good way. Ky sighed and said "I'm sorry Sol, but I cannot tell you."

The man turned around and bluntly replied "Then we're done here." As he took a couple steps away, Ky held a hand out and asked "Is our trust so delicate that you can just burn it away on a whim, Sol?"

Sol paused and gripped the side of his pocket, glancing over his shoulder at Ky and noticing his smile. No hostility were in those eyes, and it clearly bothered the man "Grrr…You were better off as a whiny-ass child." Turning around, the man said "Fine, what's your point?"

"There's not much to discuss Sol. Ramlethal threatens the sanctity of the entire world…You're the only person I can count on to resolve this matter before it gets out of hand." Ky said with the utmost honesty, to which Sol responded bluntly "Bah, we were already on our way to deal with her when dumbass one and two showed up."

"And do you know where she is?" Ky's inquiry bred only silence from the man. He spoke out in turn "Our information has allowed us to pinpoint her exact location. Please, Sol, I ask you to come with us to stop her."

"Tsk, fine! But when this is over, we're going to have a long-ass talk about your 'sources'." Sol brandished a finger at Ky, who replied respectfully "And I promise you those answers. Thank you, Sol." With one more grunt, Sol began to walk towards the ship while Sin followed him, an amused look on his face.

Ky then let out a sigh of relief and then turned to Alex and Shina, asking them politely "Now then, may I hear your side of the story?" Alex opened his mouth but it was immediately sealed by Shina's hand as she stepped forth and bowed, commenting gently "It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty."

Shina then stood up straight and explained "I'm sorry for any commotion we may have caused. We were looking for Sol to get some information on the Backyard since we need something important from there." Ky widened his eyes a bit and said "The Backyard? Very well, continue."

"There was a misunderstanding and so my friend Alex ended up fighting Sol. It was all my fault, so I apologize again for what happened." With another bow from Shina, Ky nodded his head and said "Alright, I believe you. And I'd like to apologize for Sol's behavior as well. He is a little…hot-headed."

Alex gave the king a sideways glance and said "And you're too soft. Bastard tries to kill two innocents and you're just going to let him walk onto your ship like that shit's first-class!" Ky looked Alex in the eyes and with a hand extended out inquire "You are the one who fought against Sol, yes?"

"Yeah?" Alex replied in a suspecting tone. Ky closed his eyes and muttered "I hate to do this to a child, but…I'm afraid I have to place you under arrest." The boy widened his eyes and with a turn of his head sputtered out "A-Arrested? M-ME?!"

"Please remain calm. I am merely doing what is right as a King. And as the King, I have a favor I wish to request of you." Alex calmed down for a moment and folded his arms together, hearing the man out as he extended his hand and asked "Fighting Sol is no easy feat. If you would be willing to use that power to help stop Ramlethal, then I will cut your sentence down to zero."

Tapping his fingers on his arms with a slight scowl, Alex muttered "Ok fine…Interrogating Ramlethal is our next best bet of getting to the Backyard, so I'll go along with your request." Ky nodded his head and with a smile said "I appreciate it. Now, if I may permit myself to ask for your names."

"Alex Whiter."

"Shina. Shina Aurora!"

"Well then, Alex, Shina…It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Ky Kiske, and I welcome you aboard my ship." With that humble greeting, the man stood aside and let the two board his ship before him. When the stairs retracted back in, the ship took off, leaving the battletorn outskirts behind. Now those deadly flames would be directed towards the enemy of the world, Ramlethal Valentine…

 _Next Time: Heartless Doll_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Diva of Despair**

A couple hours after departing from Neo Newyork, Ky's ship could be seen coasting through the skies at a brisk pace. It's coat of paint so pure, it almost blended in amongst the clouds. This also happened to give the passengers a scenic view as they traveled to their destination.

Inside, the ship had it's own regal panache to it. The floors were lined with a fine red linen carpet and the ceilings had golden chandeliers every fifteen feet. The barred windows were dressed with red cloth curtains, and only the finest and softest green chairs were put in for comfort. As for the walls, they had dozens of pictures strung about them, memoirs of Ky's experiences and the people he shared them with.

Shina, Sol, Ky and Sin had gathered in the ship's spacious living room. Sol leaned against a wall with arms crossed, lifting his head for the occasional glare and growl towards Shina, who sat on a chair close to a window and looked out. She patiently tapped her fingers along her kneecaps and hummed along with the classical tune playing overhead. Sin was on the other side of the room, grinning at the sights.

"Woo-hoo! Now this is high-class! Waaaay better than those drab trains." Sin exclaimed. Ky deactivated a magic radio on his ear and turned around, glancing at Sin and telling him "Sin, there'll be time for sight-seeing later. Please, take a seat, it's time to go over the plan."

"Where, alright then." Sin turned around and sat on a chair, kicking his feet up onto the table and folding his arms behind his head. Ky's face instantly paled and he slowly creaked his head to face Sol, who gave him a piercing glance and muttered bluntly "What?"

"N-Never mind…" Ky rubbed his forehead a little and then regained his composure. Standing in view of the other three, he explained calmly "As you know, Ramlethal Valentine has declared war on the world. We do not currently know how she plans to do this or why she is, but we can't take any chances."

"No shit, get on with it Ky." Sol grumbled impatiently. Ky paused for another glance and then continued unperturbed "I have already gotten an alliance with most of the Kings in the world on this matter, and they have deployed their fleets towards the crater of Japan south of Babylon where Ramlethal is currently located."

"Sending fleets after a Valentine? You really want that much blood on your hands?" Sol pointed out fiercely, but Ky replied honestly "It is only as a last resort…on the off chance you aren't successful, Sol." The faith in his voice was welcoming, at least.

Shina raised her hand with lips pouting and Ky faced her. She asked while placing a finger beside her lips "And what's the plan for dealing with Ramlethal after we defeat her?" Ky said while gesturing his hand out "…I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say."

"Hmph, not like you need to. She'll be burned like the trash she is." Sol cracked his knuckles with a scowl on his face, and Ky sighed a little before continuing "Anyways, we'll be arriving at our destination in a few hours. Take this time to relax…There's something I must attend to in the meantime."

Ky headed towards the hallways, and after a little leaning Shina pulled herself from the chair and waltzed stealthily after him. She followed him a few rooms down until he stopped in front of a door guarded by two guards wearing heavy armor colored similar to his clothes. Then, staying behind a corner, Shina glanced around as the guards moved their lances and let Ky pass. Giggling a little, Shina muttered "Oh Mr. Kiske, you're in for a rough time…"

Inside the room, the curtains were shut and the only light came from the lone chandelier. There was a long table and a few chairs placed around, with Alex sitting at the far end and his fists clenched together on the table. He looked at Ky as the man approached the closest chair, projecting little unease around his body. Alex forced a naughty grin on his face and remarked "Is it really a good idea for a king to visit a prisoner alone?"

When Ky sat down, he pulled his sword from the sheath and laid it on the table, turning his chair diagonally to look Alex in the eyes. He was smiling, and in a humored tone said "If threats could kill, there'd be a thousand graves in my name. No, I simply wanted to ask you some questions."

Alex closed his eyes and with a relaxed expression said "Of course it wasn't going to be simple." Ky raised his hand to the side of the table and tapped away at something that caused a small screen to appear in front of him. Commenting "I'm glad you agree, so first thing first…" Ky turned the screen to Alex as he opened his eyes and immediately was fraught with surprise.

On the screen were two squares with a large "X" crossed through them, and information like date of birth, location and such were all empty. The only thing filled was his and Shina's names. Ky calmly held his hand out and asked "As far as our intelligence could determine, there's no records of you two on this world. Do you mind answering why?"

After the initial surprise washed over him, Alex focused on Ky and with teeth grit chuckled while saying "Guess I should've known better." He then loftily waved his right hand out and told him "You're going to have to suspend your disbelief for a bit here, your majesty."

"Very well." Ky immediately replied, not a trace of doubt in his voice. Alex looked at him and said "Shina and I are from Earth, just not this one. Guess you can say right now we're on a universe-trotting trek to find this mystical object. A part of the key to it just so happened to be on your world, lucky you." Tinting that last bit with jolly sarcasm, Alex looked at Ky and found that though he blinked a little, his body was barely shaken.

"Another Earth…? Fascinating. So I assume you took a ship to get here?" Ky asked in intrigue, and Alex immediately replied "You're looking at the ship." With a flabbergasted glare in his eyes the stoicism from Ky's posture faded and he stuttered "B-Beg pardon?"

"Look, where I come from, I was given the power to control the elements. Fire, water, electricity, wind, all that shit. Just so happens that wind's really good for space travel." Alex leaned back in the chair with arms folded behind his head proudly, and Ky said as the explanation sunk in "…I see, so you're proficient in magic."

"From your perspective, yeah." Alex looked and saw curiosity clearing gleaming from Ky's pupils. With a smirk the boy said "Just don't expect an explanation. Shit, you could write three books off all the stuff I'd have to tell ya."

"An explanation isn't necessary." Ky said with graceful nod of the head. He stood up and grabbed onto his sword to sheath it, and as he turned he mentioned "I do appreciate your honesty on the matter though." He began to make his way for the exit before staying his hand an inch from the knob.

Retracting it, he glanced to the right and spoke "One last thing…" Alex perked his eyes open partway as Ky gestured towards him and inquired with a surprising degree of bluntness "If you two aren't from this world, how do you know about the Backyard?"

Alex sat there for a few seconds, looking away from the man with his heart feeling rather empty. Struggling for an answer, the boy settled upon "Certain knowledge can be dangerous in the wrong hands. I'd hate for our 'conclave' to be ruined by a possible leak." Ky widened his eyes, pausing to glance down at his chest before replying "No, you're absolutely right. I will call for you when we've reached Ramlethal…"

Exiting the room, Ky notices Shina peeking around the corner and then gestured to the guards "The girl can be allowed in." He then walked down the hall and passed her by, giving a brief grin as he made his way to the living room. Shina emerged and approached the door, with the guards staying still as she entered the interrogation room.

Waving at Alex she yelled out "Howdy!" and got his attention. He raised his brows at her and said "Why is it you get to walk around while I'm left a prisoner?" She approached the table and commented humorously "I wasn't the one Godzilla'ing throughout a populated area."

"It wasn't THAT bad." Was Alex's rebuttal as he crossed his legs and laid them atop the table. Shina plopped onto a city as the boy bemoaned "Geez, no in-flight movie or nothing. What kinda plane is this?"

"You're taking this rather well." She smiled and chuckled, with Alex saying nonchalantly "This isn't the first time this has happened." And with an opening of his eyes he glanced at Shina's curious expression and said "And you know the drill by now."

"Yes yes, you'll tell me when you're ready." Shina nodded her head drably and then upon clasping her hands before her chest she couldn't hold back her excitement and exclaimed "I really wish you'd talk about that form of yours though!"

"Goddamn it Shina!" Alex said, lightly flustered. Shina looked barely sorry in her expression as she said "Oh I can't help it! That form was the first time you felt as mythical as the legend of the Elemental Overlord!"

Snarkily he replied "Geez, thanks." Shina ignored that and was swept away in a sea of bliss as she laid her hands against the side of her face and blabbered on "ThatmajesticaurathosegoldenflamesandbeautifulwingsitwaslikesomethingoutofnovelorbookoflegendsIcan'tbelieveit!IreallyreallyREALLYwantto-"

"Take a BREATH…For crying out loud!" Alex blurted out. Shina stopped INSTANTLY and looked at him with a giggle. Shaking his head, Alex said "Look, I'm just going to rest until we're at Ramlethal. I need to get my energy back."

"Oh alright, maybe later." Shina gently gave no resistance and stood up, making her way for the door. Before opening it she asked "Hey, ya want anything to eat?" Alex laid back deep into the chair and replied "Eh, if you can get me a salad it'd help."

For the next few hours everything was pretty quiet, but the atmosphere was quite tense with worry. In the interrogation room, Alex finished off a fourth plate of salad and tapped his stomach to let out a rather loud burp. Blushing after, the boy looked around and said "Hope nobody heard that…"

He then stood up, shaking some sleepiness from his legs, and walked over to the curtains. Parting one open, he noticed the clouds were starting to change. They took on a crimson hue and bended themselves around what looked like a hellish vortex far away. In the center of the vortex was a large black blasphemous cross with sharp points and a hollow circular center, with the sides pointed upwards like demonic horns.

It's like the Earth had been lost, and Hell itself had encroached the mortal plane. It didn't help that this event occurred close to Japan, which had been devastated from a merciless war that it couldn't even qualify as a graveyard. Yet the ship descended towards a massive crater in the very center of this barren land as though it was just any other location. Alex turned around right as the door swung open and Ky entered holding his hand out to ask "Alex Whiter? It's time…"

The boy followed Ky out of the room and towards the exit, where Sol, Sin and Shina had gathered. Shina looked at Alex and said "I'm surprised you're not green after all those salads." Alex glanced at her and commented "I'd have a better chance of that if I got angry."

"Oh I'm sure we'd have seen it by now then." Shina chuckled as the door swung open, it's hissing nearly muting the groan from Sol, who didn't even wait to leap out of the ship before it had safely landed. Ky waved his hand out and said "Sol, wait! …Ghh, should've known better."

He looked to Sin and told him "Sin, tell Sol I'm staying behind to observe the situation in case things go south." The boy looked back after a few seconds of loftily observing Sol and said "Huh? Oh, sure thing Ky! But relax, we're going to wipe the floor with Ramlethal!" He bravely leaped out before he was done.

"I worry about that boy sometimes…" Ky muttered before looking at the duo and telling them "May the Sanctus Maximus Populi bless you with good fortune." He then turned around to return to the cockpit, and Shina and Alex headed down the stairs to join the others. Immediately brushed by a chilling gale, Shina legs tremble down to the feet and she nearly loses balance.

"W-Whoa…!" Catching herself and then clenching a fist near her chest, she stood up as Alex looked back at her paling face and asked "What's wrong with you?"

"There's a lot of aura in this area…I-It doesn't feel like anything I've experienced before." Sin swiveled around and inquired "Huh? What's aura?"

Sol turned and answered bluntly "It's unimportant nonsense." Shina waved a hand out while rubbing her forehead and saying "Aww that's not fair to Sin's curiosity." She then waggled her finger and continued despite Sol's growls "You got something called Ki on this world right? Well while Ki is the energy within, aura is more-or-less the energy outside. It's your very being, your essence. Without it…you'd be nothing."

Though ending on a grim note, Sin leaned back and said "Huh…So I got aura? That's cool! You have to show me how to use it!" Sol grumbled "Don't bother, he'll lose interest within a day." The boy turned and said "Heeeeey, come on now."

"Now are you done wasting our time?" Sol bluntly glared at Shina, who shrugged and told him "Sure. Still, why does this aura feels so strange…?" The group headed closer to the edge of the nearby chasm while Sin looked to the sky and commented "This is really weird, it's like the whole world's bending."

Sol stopped suddenly and laid a hand on his hip, looking at the strange symbol to the left before commenting "No shit, this is the same atmosphere as the Backyard." Gripping his pocket tightly, he started mumbling and hung his head a little. Then he glanced ahead and exclaimed "Figures. This has all been a goddamn trap!"

"Huh? What're you talking about old man?" Sin remarked in a puzzled tone, with Sol responding bluntly as he looked up in front of him "Ask HER."

Descending from the sky with little fanfare was Ramlethal, whose body felt more lifeless in person. In a voice so monotone it was like someone was typing her words out, she glared down at the group and said "You made it. Well done." She hovered an inch above the ground with two ballonish imps floating loftily beside her head.

Alex stepped forth and said to her "Yeah, great job, you allowed yourself to be outnumbered." Ramlethal responded harshly "Your boasting is pointless, you redundant anomaly." The boy, after a brief pause, swung his right arm out to draw his sword and quietly spoke "Like I should be surprised you knew…"

Sol suddenly got a radio call from Ky, whose voice could be heard by everyone _"Sol! That distortion…it's originating over Babylon!"_ One of Ramlethal's imps suddenly called forth a giant mechanical broadsword bigger than herself and swung itself over Sol's shoulder, pointing at the ship.

"You would be wise not to pursue that, puppet king…" Grimly she spoke, bearing her fangs in a grin as Sol didn't flinch. The man shut the radio off and looked the doll in the eyes, telling her bluntly "I don't know what the hell you're planning, but I'm shutting you down for good."

"It doesn't matter what you try." Ramlethal zipped back in a blur and the other imp summoned a sword. As Shina activates her Gunslinger drive behind him, Alex commented matter-of-factly "Alright you, summon that strange aura already. We know you're going to."

Ramlethal dryly replied "Your words do not register. Now…perish!" With a ghastly rasp at the end she cracked a grin and rushed right at Sol as her swords vanished into a rift of time and space. With the ferocity of a tiger the Valentine slashed her hands at the man and struck him across the chest before he blocked with his sword. When Sin and Alex rush in for back-up her giant swords reappear and swing in a hard broad arc to force them back.

Shina slides around the swords and unleashed a ballet of bullets upon Ramlethal, who first ducked under Sol's punch before grabbing his arm between her spindly legs and flipping him back hard against the ground. Shina held her fire with an embarrassed look on her face as Sol stood up and gave her a glare. Ramlethal turned around and swung her right arm out as sharply as a blade, but Sol grabbed her by the wrist and then slammed her forehead with his own.

She was launched towards her swords just as one swung up, and with a swing of her hand she grabbed the handle away from the imp and spun around to swing it at Alex and Sin. They blocked and were pushed back in the path of the second blade that teleported behind them. Alex gleamed back and exclaimed "Sin, dodge!"

Alex sprinted at Ramlethal while Sin just stood there and murmured "Wait, huh?" before being sliced in the back by the blade. He's knocked forward stumbling and Ramlethal vaults over Alex as he tries a flame slash so she can reach approach Sin. The boy grinned as red lightning crackled through his flag and exclaimed "Gotcha now!" before slamming it against the ground. It called forth a plume of electricity that shocked Ramlethal and knocked her back.

Following up on that, Sol leaped into the air and slammed his flaming fist into her the back of her skull. She was slammed against the ground but quickly spun onto her hands and feet, hunching over and raring to leap at Sol. Her body only got a foot off the ground before she was tugged right back by some prickly vines. Alex swung his arms out beside himself and Ramlethal was dragged along the ground with her cloak being torn into.

Alex then punched the ground and a fist of rock launched Ramlethal into the air, her limbs still bound by the wrists and ankles. Shina swung a pistol out and fired rapidly towards her, but she was able to call her swords and spin them around and deflect all the shots. Shina swung the rifle in her other hand out and mounted it on a tripod of aura, taking aim at the weak point in the defense and firing a swift piercing laser out.

One sword stopped and blocked the laser with a sizzling gash put into it, and the other blade sliced through the vines. Ramlethal levitated and quickly scanned the area as one sword swung out to slice through an orb of red electricity. Focusing on Sin as the boy remarked "Aaaaaaaw crap!" she chose to dive straight at him.

Landing in front of him, he only partially swung his flag down charged with electricity before she went right for the throat and grabbed onto it. With a grin she lashed the fangs from her cloak at Sin's body like a volley of knives, stabbing into the skin a few times until he yelled out "Get off!" and released a ground tearing amount of electricity from his body.

Her hands singed, Ramlethal zipped back and glanced to the left as Sol was sliding through the ground so fast the friction set him on fire. She leaped back but he rose up with a flaming uppercut. Ramlethal swerved to the right but Sol spun around and slammed his sword against her neck. Dragging her around before throwing her to the ground, Sol also raised his blade and shot out a large bullet of fire in pursuit.

Ramlethal landed on her feet and pushed herself out of the blast radius of the fireball, warping both of her swords nearby and then waving her hand out, remarking calmly "Lucifero…" The two imps merged together and then warped underneath where Sol was, holding a double-sided blade in it's mouth as it spun around with the ferocity of a blender. Inches away from the blades, Sol thrust his sword back and let forth a burst to rocket away from danger.

The Valentine lunged at Sol only to be met with Alex leaping in the way and slashing his sword down on her. She takes the attack with minimal singing on the center of her cloak and is forced back to where she started. Ramlethal blinked a little and called her swords back beside herself. As Alex flew in for an attack, she swung her arms up and the blades followed in that direction.

The boy swerved to the side to slip between the blades, readying his sword for another attack. Ramlethal split the blades away and leaped at Alex before he could do so, grabbing and dragging him to the ground before spiraling around him like an uncontained whirlwind. With an assault of slashes from her nails, she managed to draw some blood from his body until an aura rocket blasted her in the face and forced her off.

Ramlethal glided back until she hovered over the chasm, her cloak fluttering from the updraft. Looking around from Shina to Sin, she murmured in monotone "Assessing threats…Male anomaly and Flame of Corruption are the most dangerous. Female anomaly…unknown, scion of the Gear Commander…unknown."

Spreading her lithe arms and legs out, the Valentine released an abundant amount of power that parted her cloak and revealed the bare amount of clothing she had underneath. Even with a ferocious expression, she calmly said to the group "All redundancies shall be eliminated." She then focused on Sin and saw him with flag swung back charged with electricity.

"Yeah right! Eat this!" He threw the flag like a javelin as Sol swung his hand out and exclaimed "You idiot, not now!" Ramlethal grit her teeth and flew straight at the flag, ripping it from it's flight like a vulnerable bug and charging right at Sin, her movements too fast for the naked eye. With flag primed for stabbing and the tip inches away from Sin's forehead, it was only through Alex blasting her with a powerful gale that threw her aim off and caused the side of the boy's head to be scuffed.

Shina commented to Alex while forcing Ramlethal away with bullets "Now might be a good time for that other form!" Alex raised his sword above his head and set it ablaze with crimson fires, yelling out "Even if I could I wouldn't for something this easy!"

He leaped out along with Sol to pincer Ramlethal between their broad slashes, all the while Shina created a firecracker launcher and proclaimed nonchalantly "And you've been getting on MY case for not taking things seriously?!" Alex and Sol's attacks are blocked by Ramlethal swinging her arms out to call her swords, followed by her opening them slightly to release a burst of energy to knock them back.

When Alex lands he barely gives her a glance and spoke out "Says the Elemental Overlord FANGIRL who doesn't know shit about elemental energy!" Ramlethal threw the flag towards Alex, but Sin flipped over and caught it with a jolly "Yoink!" before landing and raising his right hand to fire another electric orb at his foe.

In the break he had Alex pivoted his head to look at Shina and said "Look, THAT I'll explain later." The girl raised her launcher up and said "I'm holding ya to that!" before launching a sparkling sphere skyward. It exploded and rained down streams of fireworks across the arena, aiming particularly at Ramlethal, who sped straight at Alex while dragging her swords along side her.

Masterfully weaving around the explosions, Ramlethal stopped in front of Alex and punched him right in the chest, causing him to heave out a lot of air and think _"W-What…?! She knew that hadn't recovered?!"_ Betraying that sleek frame was her impressive strength as Alex was sent flying away, Ramlethal going straight forth in pursuit as Shina widened her eyes and proclaimed "Alex!" while swiftly switching to another weapon.

Ramlethal flew around Alex's suspended body and slashed at him with her swords, and after recovering Alex fought against the blades by rapidly swinging his sword around. After blocking every blow of hers for a few seconds, Ramlethal leaped back and dragged her swords in, where the tips opened up and a twenty foot long blood red katana shot out of each.

Alex stayed in place for a moment and thought _"Those blades could even cut Sol…!"_ Quickly dispelling his own sword, the boy noted the overzealous grin on Ramlethal's face as she swung her hands up high and commanded the katanas to dive in a cross formation right at him.

" _Come on Alex, think of something that she can't cut!"_ Time crawled as the blades got closer as Alex dug deep into his memories and called upon an idea that he couldn't help but smirk at the brilliance of. Swinging his arms out while concentrating on the memories within, his arms turned a sleek and silvery metallic and her intercepted the blades with all his might. The moment they connected, a vibration shook out and ripped the katanas apart.

Ramlethal's expression froze in momentary shock as she said analytically "Material is of unknown origin…Error, error…" Alex swung his still metallic fists out and said "That's vibranium for you, bitch! But don't worry, I'm willing to SHARE!" He flew up to Ramlethal and punched her square in the jaw, sending out another vibration as the Valentine hurtled back to the original battlefield, flying right past a surprised Shina and grinding up the ground upon landing.

Ramlethal quickly got back up and warped out of the way of Sol and Sin's attempted strikes. Reappearing at the edge of the chasm, she merged her imps and they split at the center to create a wide cannon of sorts, each side represented by the blades she wielded. As the area between them surged with green electricity, she waited for Alex to return before glancing at him and remarking coldly "Your adaptability is impressive…for a redundancy. But you are a threat even to Mother. I shall eliminate you all now. Farewell."

The cannon she prepared unleashed it's energy in the form of a static-y beam. But unfortunately for her, she targeted an impatient Sol first, and with a gruff "Alright, enough of this nonsense…" the man pulled his fist back and charged it with fire. He swung it right out and created half a dome of fire that smashed against the front of the beam and forced the energy right back towards Ramlethal.

"Impossible…!" She remarked right before the energy consumed her whole. It didn't last very long, but when it was through Ramlethal couldn't even stand and dropped to her knees, grabbing the back of her head and barely responding. Sin grinned and pumped his fist out, proclaiming triumphantly "Hell yeah! That was awesome!"

Sol, however, approached Ramlethal until he was a few feet away, asking her bluntly "What're you really after?" Ramlethal lifted her head and inquired in turn "What do you mean?" Sol grabbed Ramlethal by the collar and raised her to his face, gritting his teeth and telling her to "Cut the crap. There's more to this."

Dully she replied "Ah, so you noticed…" Sol clenched the collar tighter and pointed out "You declare war on the world, then sit on your ass in the middle of nowhere? Smelled fishy to me, but we had to come out here and see. You're after something inside Babylon, aren't you?"

For the first time, Ramlethal's expression showed neither stoicism or scorn. She cracked a proud grin and said "…Very clever. The outcome of this battle wasn't important. We won the moment you set foot on our soil. You want to know what I was after? I suppose I can tell you now…It's always been the same thing."

At that moment, the world itself violently shook, causing Sol to drop Ramlethal to brace himself along with the others. With a callous rasp in her voice, the Valentine told them "I'm going to remove all of this world's redundancies. Every one of you…will die!"

Suddenly, a gigantic holographic screen appeared over the chasm, showing the symbol visible from here suddenly enlarging to a horrifying size over a heavily populated town on the Asian continent. In the center of it was something strange and mechanical. It probably wasn't the best time to compare it to a tooth, but that's where Alex's mind wandered until Shina suddenly let out a blood-curling scream.

"Shina?!" Snapping into a heavily concerned tone, Alex turned around and saw her dropped to her knees and forced out of her Gunslinger form. She shook her head and babbled painfully "No no no no…! Why there…why there?! There's so much aura…so much aura!"

Alex, pale in the face, grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little while asking "Shina, snap out of it! What's wrong?!" She raised her head with pupils shrunk to pin-size and raised a shaky finger towards the screen, murmuring as a trail of aura suddenly shot out of her pocket "I-It's there Alex…the next artifact piece is in the Cradle…!"

Leaving her to recover from the pain, Alex stood up and turned to glare at the screen as the mechanical abomination released a mass of energy that looked like a miniature sun. _"You're right…Why did it have to be with THEM…"_ He grit his teeth and gripped his fist tightly, forced to watch in horror as the sphere rapidly expanded towards the city of Babylon.

In an instant, all peace was shattered and devoured by the sphere, which ripped through the whole city mercilessly. The people ran, they screamed, they tried to salvage whatever or whoever they could, but all their efforts amounted to was an offering of screams to the group who had failed to stop this event. As the sphere touched them, every last atom was ripped from their beings and dragged away until nothing was left.

When the sphere had consumed the whole city, it retracted right back into the machine and a dark violet shockwave ripped time and space apart around it, blowing away the clouds before a pale glow surrounding the crest and made the planet tremor once more. With a blast of light, the atmosphere of this town changed forever. The skies were darkened grey, and a white ash snowed down onto that hollow land.

The silence that permeated the battlefield was only broken by Sin's frightened declaration of "H-How can this be?! They're all…gone!" Even Sol was a bit shocked as he pondered "That energy…is there another Valentine out there?!"

Sol received a call from Ky on the radio, who said in a panic _"S-Sol! Did you see that too?!"_ Grumpily he replied "What the hell do you think?! Now what do we do?!"

" _I honestly can't believe that she was telling the truth…"_

Gripping his fist tightly, Sol exclaimed "Damn it Ky, what the hell are you hiding?!" Without warning, Ramlethal sprang up and grabbed Sol by the neck while telling him "That's enough."

Firing forward at full speed, Ramlethal dragged Sol away from the area while explaining "I'm completely expendable. I'm a pawn, you see…I think it's time we died. Let's go together." Sin waved his hand out and yelled in fear "Get out of there now! She's getting ready blow you up!"

When Alex heard that, he snapped to attention and looked out as Sol was being dragged away. With a glance at a paralyzed Shina making him realize how desperate the situation had accelerated, he shared the same worried sentiment that Sol surprisingly had.

"…Shit."

 _Next Time: The World's Despair_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Mask Does Not Laugh**

The fight with Ramlethal had taken a very drastic turn. After the world was left shaking in the wake of a terrifying machine encroaching reality, the entire populace of Babylon was wiped out. In a desperate suicidal attack, Ramlethal plans to add Sol's name to the list of lives lost. Alex and Sin were left to deal with this problem, as Shina had collapsed.

Alex grit his teeth and exclaimed "Damn it! She's moving too fast, I can't hit her with my elements!" The boy instinctively reached into his right pocket and touched a stone within, but hesitated until Ky ran up between him and Sin to say "Don't worry, back-up's on the way."

" _That's right, I forgot about her…Good, won't need the Gaia Temporis for this after all."_ Alex sighed in relief and pulled his hand out.

"Huh? What're you talking about Ky-" Sin was interrupted by a gale kicked up behind him. Glancing aside he saw that it was not an act of nature, but rather turbulence kicked up by a person flying just as fast if not faster than Ramlethal. Alex locked onto the unknown party's power and with brief widening of his eyes gave a terse glance at Ky and said in an almost reprimanding manner "Hmph, no wonder you didn't tell Sol about this."

"It's a risk I had to take…given the circumstances." There was a clear melancholy in Ky's voice, and he held tightly onto a cross wrapped around his right hand while waiting for events to further unfold. Alex, however, gripped his fists and thought _"That strange aura still hasn't appeared, and that could only mean…"_

Without a word to his allies, Alex ran ahead. Ky widened his eyes and proclaimed "Wait, Alex, it's dangerous!" The King groaned before looking left and asking in a disgruntled manner "Sin…please watch over his friend until I get back." He then pursued the boy.

In the distance, Ramlethal could be seen hoisting Sol up by the neck still, but the energy around her body was now expanding into a sizeable blast radius. Using the wind to pick up on their voices, Alex heard the Valentine say "Mother has deemed you too great a threat. As a pawn, I am willing to sacrifice myself to eliminate the threat for good. Now…die!"

Mere moments from the explosion going off, the energy suddenly contracted back into Ramlethal's body, leaving her dumbfounded and muttering "Huh? Why?" before her gaze and in turn Alex's turned towards a figure standing nearby.

Like Ramlethal, they were female and rather doll-like in appearance. She wore a white dress resembling a wedding dress accented with red belts and pink ribbons with clovers on them. A bouquet of roses was stuck on the back of her dress and her hat resembled a pair of rabbit ears like Ramlethal's did, complete with a wedding veil extended down the back of it. She had short pink hair and slightly glowing sky blue eyes, with a bust window exposing her large, bouncy bosom. Overall, her appearance came across as the epitome of femininity and purity.

Right now, Alex looked at her and saw something he never got from Ramlethal, and that was a genuine emotion of pittance. It was directed towards the Valentine as she held a hand up with a pink magical ring around it. Ramlethal muttered in surprise "El…?" just before Sol turned the dilemma around by grabbing her neck slamming her to the ground.

Sol clenched his other fist as Ky approached him from behind and said in relief "Thank goodness she got here in time…" Sol then demanded of Ramlethal "Enough games you damned doll! Stop what's happening in Babylon right now!"

"Impossible. There is no way to stop what's already occurred, even if I wanted to." Ramlethal dully replied. Sol set his fist on fire and said "Then I guess there's no point keeping you around then." Ky lightly grabbed the man's wrist and his flames dispersed as he gleamed back at him.

"Sol, stand down. We know too little about the situation as it. Taking her into custody is the wisest course of action." Growling despite or because of the softness in Ky's voice, Sol brushed his grip off and let go of Ramlethal. Standing up, Sol looked back and saw the strange girl standing silently behind Ky. She held her hands up to her chest and seemed rather sad.

Cracking his neck around, Sol quickly looked away from the person and said to Alex gruffly "Hey, make yourself useful and grab Ramlethal." He then began to return to the ship with a clearly hostile air around him. Alex mockingly flapped his lips before rolling his eyes and then just going through with the suggestion. He held his hand out and wrapped Ramlethal in a tight sheet of rock, picking her up and following the others back to the ship. Shina had already been brought in to rest by Sin.

A few hours later, as Japan and Babylon were unfortunately left behind, the ship the group was on flew aimlessly around the clear blue skies. Ramlethal had been thrown into the prison, Shina had been left lying on a couch, and the strange and pure being was allowed to lay down in the guest room. With nothing to do but wait, the others stayed in the living room and watched the Illyria news, where they were reporting on the Ramlethal situation.

" _This is Kate Walther. Local time is 3:15 PM. We're interrupting our regularly scheduled programming for breaking news. We have just received word that Ramlethal Valentine has been captured by the Knights of Illyria, only a week after her declaration of war."_

Alex raised his brows and murmured "A week? Geez, usually we wrap this up the day we arrive…"

" _Details on her capture are scarce, but it appears to be related to the massive earthquake in Babylon earlier. Now, for an update from Babylon, we go to our man on the scene, Mr. Kadooki."_

Gleaming at the others, Alex noticed Ky tensely holding his hands together on his lap as the news changed perspective to the city of Babylon. Looking at it for even a second made Alex's heart skip a beat. Though he only glimpsed the fair city in it's original state, how ruinous it looked now struck a melancholy note in his mind.

The buildings were grey and lifeless thanks to the ashen snow that fell upon it. The skies were bright, but in a hollow and hellish manner. It was like a scene out of a film depicting the Holocaust, yet there would be no skeletons found amongst this deserted wasteland. Strangely enough, that would've been a little comforting…

The newscasters talked about the state of Babylon, mentioning the lack of damage to the buildings and the strange composition of the ash. They couldn't possibly have known the truth about the matter, and it was better they remain ignorant. It was only when they returned focus to a giant tower in Illyria that Alex really cared about what was said.

" _The government is proceeding on the assumption that Ramlethal was involved, yes, but some believe that it has something to do with a change in St. Elmo's Fire."_

" _St. Elmo's Fire…? The thanksgiving festival is still some time off, but the timing seems a little close to be a coincidence."_

" _Our sources also tell us the UN is holding emergency meetings to discuss deploying Opus units into actual combat."_

" _For the viewers at home, could you tell us what the Opus are?"_

" _Of course. The Opuses are man-made super-soldiers built under the instruction of the Sanctus Populi, with Illyria leading development. During Baptisma 13, the Illyrian Army, even armed with magic, was easily overwhelmed by the attacking forces, and suffered heavy casualties. The Opuses were developed to give mankind the ability to contend with future possible Valentine attacks."_

Alex rolled his eyes and gave a half-assed sarcastic murmur of "Yeah, and they did a wonderful job." Needless to say he wasn't a fan of the praise showered onto the Sanctus Populi right after for her efforts.

With the news report ending on condolences to families who lost relatives in Babylon, the TV was shut off and Sin immediately blurted out "What the hell, why weren't we mentioned?!" He jerked back to look at Sol, who folded his arms and told him "Idiot, think about it. If word got out that we used another Valentine to stop Ramlethal, how do you think the media would respond?"

Ky added to that calmly "It'd be a disaster for sure…Letting the Illyrian army take credit is more convenient." Alex glanced over at Shina on the couch and said his piece "Not to mention having to explain two people who don't exist."

"No shit." Sol gruffly replied before glancing at Sin and telling him firmly "Besides, not everybody loves your dear old dad. His crusades of justice means he's pissed in more than his share of cornflakes."

"S-Sol…!" Ky stammered in a flustered tone. Sin rested his arms behind his head and muttered "Geez, politics are bullshit." As Ky's sigh could be heard in the background, Sol cracked a grin of agreement and said "Heh, so long as I get paid I don't give a damn."

"Aaaaaw yeah, a whole mil of money to spend!" Sin's mouth started drooling enough to drench his chin as he continued in a trance "Just imagine…all the filet mignon you could buy with that!"

Sol glanced back and muttered "Do the math…" but after a moment of thought he widened his eyes and realized "Shit I haven't taught you how to divide yet, have I?"

Alex got up from the couch and commented in a humored tone "Besides, if the world is destroyed, you won't be able to buy anything." Sin looked back at him and grumbled "Hey, why do you have to piss in MY cornflakes?"

"A-HEM!" Ky coughed and everyone turned their attention towards him. As he looked out the window he explained "In any case, both Valentines are the key to solving this mystery. Once they've woken up, we'll need to ask some questions."

"We don't have time to wait around! I got a few ideas on how to wake 'em up." Sol said while gripping his fist to the point of his bones cracking. Ky freaked a little and said "W-Wait a minute! They may be Valentines, but they still need to recover!"

"Ghhh, fine!" Sol loosened his fist and went silent for a bit, as did everyone else. Alex folded his arms together and got to thinking about something that had been bugging him for a while now.

" _Shina said the artifact piece was in that machine hovering over Babylon. How the hell did the Conclave get a hold of it? …I really shouldn't have to ask, that same being that's been giving us trouble on the other world is responsible. Still, why haven't we encountered that strange aura? Is it a matter of proximity…? No, when the Evil Twins had the artifact the aura still showed up."_

With some grumbling Alex looked at the others and ended his thoughts with _"This is something I need to ask Shina. For now…"_ Gesturing his hand out the boy reluctantly said "Hey, guys." He got their attention right away and with a slightly freaked out expression murmured "Crap I didn't think they'd listen."

"Do you have anything to add, Alex?" Ky inquired in intrigue. The boy thought _"Screw it, they have the right to know"_ and then looked at them confidently. With all their gazes met, he explained "Nothing relating to the Valentines…Well, sort of."

Looking at Sin in particular, he hopingly asked "Remember how Shina brought up that artifact?" Sin blinked a little but then said happily "Oh yeah, that little rock!" Alex nodded his head and let out a sigh of relief. Continuing with his explanation in his nonchalant manner, Alex swerved his body and started walking back and forth in front of the couch.

"Well on our journey to collect these rocks we've come across a few…problems to say the least. Some of the enemies on our journey have been infected with a purple aura that makes them stronger and more aggressive, and we believe it's connected to the presence of the stone."

At this point in the explanation Ky asked "And what you're suggesting is that we should be worried about Ramlethal becoming infected?" Alex shook his head and told him "I don't know. She should've gotten it when we fought her. All I'm saying is to be careful around her and E-…eeer, the other Valentine."

"So hey, speaking of this aura whatever, what happened to Shina?" Sin cheerfully inquired. Alex stopped and explained "Whatever it was that affected Babylon brought out a lot of aura at once. It must've overloaded Shina."

"Hmph, she goes unconscious just like the other Valentines. And you still want to tout that 'no she's not' bullshit around like it's the truth?" Sol sharply commented, and Alex gripped his fist and said "Will you just get off that already you stubborn bull?"

Ky stood between them with arms held out and said "I hope you two aren't planning to fight again. Now's not the time, save your strength." Sol folded his arms and turned away, commenting "Like I'm going to waste anymore on this brat." He was unaware of Alex flipping him off with tongue sticking out too, but he didn't need to when Ky looked at the boy with a brow-raised glare.

Composing himself with a little maturity, Alex folded his arms and stuttered "L-Look, I just didn't want you to be blind on this. One wrong move and any one of you could die." Ky smiled and said "Thank you. But so long as Sol is here, I'm not too concerned about the Valentines."

"Oh so now I'm a bodyguard? That'll cost you another half a mil, your kingliness." Sol demanded with his usual gruff. Ky turned his head and stammered "W-What? …Fine, I'll add it to your funds later."

Sin raised a hand and with the eagerness of a child he inquired "Oh oh, is it my turn to ask a question now?" Ky looked at his son and inquired "Absolutely."

"What was up with that St. Elmo's Fire or whatever they were talking about?" When that question came about, Ky smiled proudly and opened his mouth until Sol jumped in and roughly said "It's a big-ass lightning bolt."

With a sigh Ky glanced at him and commented "Honestly, can't you at least TRY to explain things to him?" Sol bluntly told him "Hey, YOU said I could raise him however I please." Rubbing his forehead and letting out a sigh, Ky chose not to give a damn for the moment and looked at Sin to give his answer.

"St. Elmo's Fire is a bolt of lightning that strikes every thirteen years. There is no meteorological explanation, but it always comes in the autumn."

Sin nodded his head and went dryly "Oh…!" while Ky continued on "During the Crusades, it saved several members of the Holy Order when it struck a group of Gears. The Fire gave the Crusaders the advantage, and ultimately allowed mankind to triumph. Since then humanity has taken to celebrating its arrival."

"So you're saying this lightning bolt wiped out Babylon?" Sin asked, and Sol butted in to point out "No. Ramlethal clearly knew about it before it happened, so I think we can rule out 'natural disaster' on this one."

"Correct…In the unlikely event that St. Elmo's fire were to fall in a populated area, the causalities would be catastrophic. In truth, it could easily destroy an entire city. That is why mankind has built a lightning rod to attract it." Ky continued.

"W-What?" Sin stuttered.

"Illyria Castle is that very lightning rod." Ky said proudly. Sin looked a little puzzled, prompting Sol to say "Well, that good enough for ya?" Sin turned and scratched the side of his head, remarking on the info "I-I think so…? Basically, it's a big-ass lightning bolt."

"There you go." Sol quickly said. Right away, Ky's face went pale, and the fearful look on his face screamed 'I worry for his future'. Alex rubbed the back of his head and thought _"Thank god it's not a lightning bolt on OUR world."_

Then, a soldier walked into the room and announced respectfully "Sir! Elphelt Valentine has begun to awaken." Ky turned around and commented "Thank you for the report. We shall pay her a visit immediately." Cracking his knuckles with a half-hearted grin, Sol said "About damn time. I have a few choice questions for her…"

He headed for the hallway but paused when Alex was about to follow to say "YOU can stay right where you are." Alex widened his eyes and replied "Like hell I-" Ky was the one to interrupt by laying a hand on the boy's chest and telling him "I must agree with Sol. You can keep an eye out for any possible enemy attack."

The glance he gave was one of warning, and Alex nodded his head after. Though when Ky looked away, he gave Sol another glare. The three moved on, leaving Alex to sit down beside Shina on the couch. With a sigh he started talking to himself "That was boring to listen through. Haaaaaa…You would've had more fun with that than I would've, Shina."

He looked at her and noticed she was wiggling around with a smile and hum. With a grinned chuckle he gently brushed her hair and said "What, are you thinking about your sister again?" Once she started smacking her lips and creaking her eyes open, Alex flinched and thought _"Is your hair ticklish or something?!"_

It didn't take her long to shift herself upright and pat her mouth tiredly. She looked around, becoming accustomed to the familiar scenery before focusing on Alex with a few tired lines below her eyes. She says to him "Hey…how's it going? Did we win…?"

Alex withdraws coolly to the left of the couch and said to her "Your mind's a little shaken still? But yeah, Ky brought out Elphelt and we've captured Ramlethal." Shina nodded twice and said "Well, alright…" but had a melancholy air around her. She leaned back and her body slunk deeper into the couch, and upon resting the back of her hand against her forehead she slowly slid it down in front of her eyes.

"That was pretty embarrassing of me, wasn't it?" She said in a forcibly humored tone. Alex leaned forward and waved his arm out to mention "You fainting? Whatever, forget about it. Though I guess you did scare me a little."

Lifting her hand like a window flap, Shina glanced at him and said in a curious tone "YOU get scared?" Alex blushed and stuttered "N-Not like that! It was more like a concerned 'fright' than a 'scared' fright I-I mean DAMN IT!" He turned away and gripped the front of the chair, but his outburst seems to have lightened Shina's mood as she lifted her body up and giggled.

"No no I get it. Thanks Alex."

Alex took in a deep breath through his nostrils and reared his head back, following up with a bellowing sigh before flipping himself around and saying "W-Whatever, you're up and that's what matters!" She gave a nod, and after some silence between them Alex kneads nervously at the fabric before Shina blurted out "…So now what?"

The boy looked up and said "Huh?" as Shina sat upright and rested her hands on her legs. "Well, we know where the artifact piece is." She said in a perturbed tone.

Alex groaned and added onto that "In the hands of the goddamn Conclave. Just our luck." Shina looked at him with an optimistic gleam in her eyes and told him "H-Hey it's not that bad! I'd say we're lucky it's with them and not some random corner of the Backyard."

"That's little condolence." Alex bemoaned with his arms folded. Shina looked back down the nearby hall and replied "I think otherwise. As long as our goals aligns with the others, we'll get that artifact piece soon enough."

"We've already been here a week…what's a few more days eh? Still, I don't believe you're thinking straight." The boy tapped the side of his head as she turned around. Then he closed his eyes and waved his hand out, telling her matter-of-factly "We've seen what the presence of the artifact does to others. Last thing we need is for their 'Cradle' to get even stronger. We have to destroy it, fast."

"Alex, remind me again, where would the Cradle be right now?" Shina said, feigning stupidity to an ignorant Alex. The boy told her "Duh, at the Back…yard…" his eyes drooped and he glanced up at a whistling Shina to accuse her "You did that on purpose."

Aloofly saying "Whatever do you mean?" she segued into a plea towards Alex's greater thinking capabilities "We just have to stick around with them until we can attack the Cradle."

"Whatever, so long as we're staying focused." Alex closed his eyes to go in thought but was disturbed by a bubbly grumble. Looking at an embarrassed Shina, the boy finds her reaching under her shirt to rub her surprisingly toned belly, and for a second his mind wanders and his heart thumps.

"Whoops, I lost track of time and now I'm hungry. I wonder if I could slip into the kitchen to make something?" She licked her lips, and the moment she lifted her arm up and rubbed the back of her head Alex snapped out of his entranced state and told her "J-Just wait for Ky to stop interrogating Elphelt and he'll get you some food."

Shina clapped her hands and admitted "Oh yeah! It'd be nice to see how a royal makes their own food. I mean sure mom's sort-of a queen, but her food's pretty…" Pausing for a moment, Shina waves her eyes back and forth and admits "Well…'crappy' might be a little harsh. Maybe stale?"

Looking at Alex, Shina then inquired "Hey, don'tcha owe me an explanation on elemental energy?" The boy raised his brows and said dully "Yeah yeah, lets get that over with."

Leaning on the arm of the couch he closed his eyes and explained calmly "So the idea behind elemental energy is that it's energy subtly taken from the world in relation to the seven elements. Like for one example I'm taking in energy from the iron in the ship. Using something like my Phoenix Form burns up a ton of elemental energy at once, especially when I get out of it. It'd be better if I had more elements to regain energy from, but because we're in a simple ship it's going to take another day at best."

"So that's why you were going all herbivore on those poor salads." Shina remarked in a fascinated but humored tone. Alex raised his eyelids a little and asked "Now tell me, are you going to be fainting again?"

"Now that I've gotten a feel for the aura, I'll be fine. But speaking of aura, mind telling me why I saw fourte-" Suddenly the ship shook, a blast coming from down the hall. Alex and Shina got up and made a beeline for where it came from. With a couple guards knocked out around her, Ramlethal, standing with a new black and white childish dress on, looked at the defensive duo and said drably "Anomalies…your lives will soon come to an end."

 _Next Time: The Locked Emotions_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Just Do It**

Ramlethal, broken free from her restraints, was in the middle of the ship being confronted by Alex, Shina, and soon enough Ky and Sol. Sol yelled out in utter disbelief "You really want to pick a fight with us now?!" Ramlethal shook her head and dully commented "There is no need."

"What?!" Sol would wish he wasn't surprised when Ramlethal raised her left hand up and charged it full of energy, commenting to them all "We are thirty-four thousand feet above the ground. A fall from this height will kill us all."

Tensions were high in the room as no one was certain how fast Ramlethal could destroy the ship. Alex slowly drew his right hand out ready to disable her with a bolt of electricity when she wasn't looking, but the energy suddenly drained from Ramlethal's hand and she stared at it rather puzzled.

It only took a glance at the door to find the Valentine Elphelt standing there with that same magic seal in front of her hand. With a disheartened tone, Elphelt said "Ram, you can't do anything while I'm around." Ramlethal asked in turn "Why…why are you betraying me?"

Turning the inquiring around, Elphelt asked more pressingly "Why are YOU trying to destroy humanity?" Ramlethal dully but honestly replied "I do not understand the question."

Elphelt pleading with a hand against her chest "Don't you have emotions too? Don't you find our missions horrifying?!" Ramlethal shook her head and replied "It's not, and a tool does not require such burdens as 'emotions'."

"But you have to have emotions Ramlethal. You're alive after all. Even you being as stoic as you are is an emotion, technically." Shina blurted out suddenly, but Ramlethal did not seem to pay attention as she immediately asked Elphelt "Are you not proud to be one of Mother's tools?"

Elphelt's eyes sunk sorrowfully, while Ramlethal lowered her head and began muttering "I don't understand Mother, why did you create her? …Or perhaps it is I who has failed to fulfill her purpose…"

Sol finally smashed his fist against the wall to shake things up, declaring bluntly to Ramlethal "Hey, we're the ones asking questions here!" Ramlethal immediately replied "And I'm not answering them."

Pulling his fist from the wall and setting it on fire, Sol had no subtly in his rage. "Fine, then you can die instead." Ky glanced worryingly a little at the man even as Ramlethal closed her eyes and acceptingly said "My mission is fulfilled. I have no further purpose. Kill me if you want."

Sol raised his fist up for the punch but Elphelt swiftly slid in the way with arms held out and proclaimed "Wait…!" Sol froze with a perturbed look on his face, but did not extinguish the flames. Elphelt turned around and said to Ramlethal "Please Ram, you were much more involved than I was…Do you know what's going to happen next?"

Ramlethal went completely silent. For a moment, the only sound was from the crackling of Sol's flames. Elphelt pleaded to her sister again desperately "Tell us!" Ky laid a hand on Sol's shoulder and said "You're not doing us any favors Sol. Stand down."

Sol dispelled the fire and smacked Ky's hand away while telling him "We don't have time to sit on our ass, kid." Ky replied "And killing our only lead is any better? What we need is a proper interrogator."

Alex raised his hand up and said "I'd be willing to take a crack at it. A guy I learned under was pretty good at interrogations." Ky laid a hand on his chin and muttered as inoffensively as he could "A PROPER interrogator…"

"W-What?" Alex said in a flabbergasted tone. Shina patted him on the back and said sympathetically "It's alright, I'm sure he means well."

Ky raised his head for a glance towards Shina but had his train of thought derailed when Sin announced his presence with "Oh, oh! Lemme try and take a crack at it!" Sol glared at him and said "You? Just what the hell is an idiot like you going to accomplish? This isn't a game!"

"I can't really explain it, but…I feel like we're…close somehow…" Sin said his part with some explicit confusion on his end, and with a fold of his arms Sol growled "Fine, do what you want!"

Ky turned to his son and told him "Very well, I will assign you and Shina to the interrogation. You can conduct it in the morning. For now…I-I would like to try and sleep." Rubbing his forehead in agony, Ky made his way out of the room. Shina pointed exasperatingly at herself and said "M-Me…? An interrogator?"

Alex laid his hands in his pockets and said grumpily "I can't believe it either. The goof-off gets to goof-off and I can't say shit about it." Shina looked at him and commented "We're just conducting an interrogation." She then made a smoking pipe out of aura and put it in the corner of her mouth, restraining her giggles while using a cockney tone "We'll get the MO of the perp and the deets on the crime, you get what I'm saying pardner?"

With his face wincing in pain, Alex whispered "Just how many minorities would you offend with that…?" Shina flicked the pipe out beside her face and said "Ah don't be so grumpy. We already have one Sol on the ship."

"H-Hey! I'm not like Sol!" Alex sputtered out, and Shina responded with the pipe dispelled "Well maybe not all the way…" "No, not at all! At least I don't take my anger issues out on innocents!" Alex immediately responded.

Tapping a finger on her sealed lips, Shina aloofly mentioned "Oh now who was it that was going to give Johnny a knuckle sandwich before?" Alex gestured a finger up and with a smug expression portraying him trying to take the high ground he replied "Ah but I didn't, did I?"

Shina closed her eyes, brushed her hair aside, then said after a sigh "Alex I don't think that makes a lick of difference." The boy's pointer finger limped along with his mouth, and after a hasty retreat to a arms folded stand he muttered "W-Whatever, just make sure Ramlethal doesn't suddenly get that strange aura. I can't save everyone if the ship suddenly capsizes out of the sky."

"I can handle myself. Besides, Sin'll be there as back-up. He can be the bad cop to my good cop." This comment raised Alex's brows as he told her bluntly "Like either of you have a bad bone in your body. At most Sin's just got a delinquent's mouth from learning from the head delinquent himself."

"Hey, dumbass one and two, we're still here!" Sol blurted out angrily. The duo looked and saw that everyone else, even Ramlethal, was giving them blank glares. Alex blinked a couple times and said "Oh forget it, lets just go get some damn rest."

It was a quiet night from there on out as Elphelt kept an eye on Ramlethal while everyone else sans Alex rested. The boy looked outside the window in the living room, staring out at the moon as it shone bright behind the clouds. Tapping his fingers atop his folded arms he muttered "To think I used to want to go to the moon…Now that dream feels so insignificant."

When he hears a door closing, he glances to the right and sees Elphelt walking out of the interrogation room. The Valentine turned to him and said with a surprised widening of the eyes "O-Oh, you're still up?" Curiously inquiring "Did Ramlethal shut down?" Alex turned to face Elphelt while feeling his heart start to flutter. As the boy was left in a blush, the Valentine crossed her hands before her waist and approached him.

"No. But I know she's not going to try anything." Elphelt's optimism was a near reflection of Shina's, and with the boy averting his gaze from this Valentine he thought _"Even when she's asleep I still have to deal with this feeling, ughhh what a pain…"_

He quickly faced the window as Elphelt stood beside him. Composing himself, Alex asked "…So what do you want?" Elphelt smiled and looked to the sky in awe "The moon's so pretty tonight."

"Looks the same as it always does." Alex said drably. Elphelt turned and said in a humored tone "I understand, you've seen it more than I have." She then asked him "Your name is Alex Whiter, right?"

"How did you-?"

"Ky told me!" When Elphelt answered cheerfully, Alex shook his head and murmured "Learning names from others…Whatever happened to formalities?"

Elphelt continued "I'm sorry my sister has caused you both trouble Alex." The boy brushed a hand out and told her "Whatever, she's just a puppet being dragged around by the strings."

With widened eyes the Valentine replied "I get why you and Sol feel that way…But Ram and I were created by Mother…Why wouldn't that mean we can function the same way?" Alex waves a hand out and says dully "You could ask the same thing of humans. Just because we are born with the ability to empathize doesn't mean we all DO express empathy. There's a lot of selfish assholes out there."

"I-I know…Mother programmed me to think that way at first, that all humans are selfish and self-destructive. But I've seen their ability to love and care, and if Ram saw that too I know she'd change her mind." Elphelt pleaded her case, but Alex merely rubbed the back of his head and told her "It's not impossible, but you have to prepare for the possibility you're wrong."

"I'm not. I believe in Ram." Elphelt firmly said, and Alex's glance showed him her determination eyes. For a moment he saw Shina in that same pose beside her and commented dully "You would've been better off talking with Shina about this."

He looks away and continues while getting a crick out of his neck "But there's one thing only I can say. If there's anyone who can teach that doll to love, it's Shina." Elphelt blurted out "Really?!" and Alex nodded his head slightly.

He then gave her a glare and commented in his own joking manner "But tell her I said that and you and Ram will be on the first flight out of here." Suddenly, after saying "Oh thank you!" Elphelt lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Alex's body. With his arms swallowed between her breasts, Alex froze up and let out a scream so shrill it was like he was possessed.

Elphelt jerked away and the boy laid a hand against his chest, panting in a cold sweat as the Valentine apologize profusely "Sorry, sorry! I guess my womanly charm was too strong…" She found humor in that as Alex just gave her a blunt glare and thought _"N-Never mind…Shina would never act like that."_

It was quiet throughout the rest of the night, and when the crack of dawn came about both Sin and Shina were ready for their interrogation of Ramlethal. Alex, Sol and Ky stuck outside, just to be safe. Entering the room, Sin and Shina swung their arms up and proclaimed "Good morning!" with all their joy at the forefront. Ramlethal, sitting by her lonesome in a chair, didn't even give them her attention and looked down at the table. Sin approached the table and said "Starting today, we're going to be your interrogators!"

Shina leaned forth, raised a finger beside her face, and gave the Valentine a wink "So put on a great big smile and this'll go by easily!" Ramlethal lifted her heads up for just a moment but didn't say a word. Sin's expression drooped before he urged her "C'mon, you gotta have some emotions in there, right?"

"Negative. Mother did not give me emotions." Ramlethal dully replied. Shina stood upright and put her fingers on the sides of her mouth, and two fingers off aura appeared in the same spots of Ramlethal's face. Shina raised the sides to make her smile, saying in a sing-song tone "Smile, darn you smiiiile!"

Ramlethal raised her hands up and crushed Shina's aura fingers, prompting the girl to blink and mutter "Mother didn't give you manners either…" Sin said "It wasn't a bad idea, but lemme try now."

Sin leaned against the end of the table and said with a finger in Ramlethal's face "Watch and prepare to laugh and cry!" Sin pulled back in an instant and started to make some goofy noises, doing a straight-up impersonation of Sol, and ending off with the start of a joke while wearing the most serious expression possible "So a chicken and a cat walk into a bar…!"

Nothing he did got Ramlethal to even wince. Sin still waited for something to happen, but would only get a blunt response from the Valentine. "Curious, I thought I was being visited by interrogators, not the local circus." Shina's cheeks puffed out and she hunched over trying to restrain herself. Sin looked back and said "Ah come on it wasn't that funny."

"N-Not really, but considering who said it…" Shina pumped her fist against her mouth and coughed, placing her arms behind her back and saying to Ramlethal "I mean, don't you find your own joke funny?"

"'Joke?' I do not understand, I was being quite serious." Ramlethal was droll in delivery yet puzzled in the way she looked. Sin scratched the side of his head and said "Well, you're not wrong."

"Huh?" Ramlethal muttered before Shina backed the boy up to say "I mean look at us. Couldn't even interrogate a fly if we tried." The Valentine asked of them "Then what are you up to?"

Sin moved to rub the back of his head and struggled to say "Oh…how do I put this? It feels weird to just SAY it…" Looking at Ramlethal with an earnest smile and confident stare, he found the courage to say "I just wanted to make you laugh."

"…You're odd."

Sin grinned and chuckled. After a short pause he got a spark of inspiration and said "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Cupping his hands in front of his chest, Sin called forth a lot of magical energy while Ramlethal cuddled her legs against her body and looked rather tired. From the magic Sin called forth a small golden furred puppy and held onto it. The puppy had the cutest black eyes and his tongue stuck out as he panted.

Shina's eyes lit up with a gleam unlike anything Alex would witness, and as she pressed her hands against the side of her face she squealed "Oh my GOOOOOD it's absolutely precious!" Sin looked her way and said "Isn't he?" before turning to Ramlethal and explaining "It's a mage hound, but really he's not that different from a real dog. Their personality depends on how you raise them!"

Sin put the puppy on the table and Shina was magnetically drawn over to it's cuteness, her heart beating in a flutter. She grasped tightly onto her right wrist and grunted "Must…resist…urges…!" As Shina was fighting a battle of great resistance, the puppy walked up to the edge of the table and let out a couple barks. Ramlethal quickly muttered "No, quit it."

Sin laid his hand out to suggest "Why not try to pet him?" Ramlethal murmured but with Sin nudging his eyebrows up in an urging manner the Valentine felt almost compelled to reach a finger out to the puppy. An inch from his face, the puppy chomped down on Ramlethal's fingers and got her to let out a dull "Ow! …Stupid mutt."

Sin chuckled and told her "Aww, that's just how he likes to play." Ramlethal got her finger free and shook her head without saying a word. The puppy sat on his rear and wagged his tail. Shina proclaimed while rearing her head back "Ooooh darn it, I can't control it! Come 'ere ya little scamp!"

Swinging her arms out, Shina picks the pup up and turns it around, pressing it against her chest. The puppy's tail wagged like it was set on turbo. Shina fell onto her back and let go, laughing uncontrollably as the dog started licking the underside of her chin. Sin blankly stared at her for a little before turning to Ramlethal to tell her "See? She's enjoying herself."

Ramlethal looked aside and let out a hum. Sin blinked and with a half-hearted smile shrugged while telling her "Maybe you two'll form a bond if I keep you alone for a bit. How's that sound?" Ramlethal replied "Do whatever you want, I have no say in your foolishness."

"Alright. Hey Shina, I know you're enjoying yourself…" Sin looked down and saw Shina blushing as the puppy had moved on to her face. Pleasingly continuing with "Ok, REALLY enjoying yourself…" Sin bent down and rubbed the puppy's head and it calmed down pretty quick. Then Sin held his arms out and the puppy leaped into his embrace. He carried it back over to the table and place it beside Ramlethal.

"Alright you two, don't have too much fun now!" Sin pointed his fingers out beside his body as he strolled away from the table. Shina stood up and looked at Ramlethal, who was giving a contemplating glance towards the puppy. She raised her finger again to try petting it, but stopped partway through. With a proud smile Shina approached Sin and whispered into his ear "I think it's working."

Sin was left grinning as the two of them exited the interrogation room. Sol glanced at them and immediately asked with little faith "Well? Get anything?" Sin turned and said "Huh? Oh, nope, couldn't get a thing."

Sol gripped his arms tightly and demanded of the boy "Then why don't you call it quits?" Defiantly Sin looked at him and asked "Why _should_ I?" Sol stared at him and stated the facts "Doesn't matter how much they look like us, those things ain't human."

Sin replied "So? What's wrong with that?" and left Sol utterly flabbergasted as he turned to look at the boy, a fiery glare building in his eyes. Sin continued "I don't see why being created by somebody or being different from us makes them bad." While surprisingly profound for the boy, it was spoken with his usual naivety.

Sol peeled away from the wall and with a hand out told him bluntly "You'd roll over for anyone who said two nice words to you. What if Elphelt betrays us?" Shina stepped forth a little and told Sol "Hey, Sin's methods are waaaaaay better than trying to just punch the words out of Ramlethal. Ya may be all strength Sol, but even you can't do that."

The man replied "Butt out sugar-for-brains, the only voice of reason is talking" only for Sin to defend Shina by saying "Reason? Old man, you're a little too paranoid to be saying that." Sol grit his teeth a little yet Sin didn't know when to stop and added on "If that happens, we'll deal with it, but as long as we understand each other we can keep trying!"

"You really think that bleeding heart bullshit's gonna work on her?"

"Why not? Besides her place of birth, how is she any different from a human?" Shina inquired while folding her arms back. Sol slammed his fist against the wall and exclaimed "I said to butt out of this!" The girl flinched, and Alex pulled away his corner of the hall and told him "What the hell is your problem?!"

Sol replied "While all of you are wasting time with tea parties and jokes, just what do you think the Conclave are doing?!" Sin laid his arms behind his head and said calmly "Nobody's forgotten that old man, but it's like you're trying to tell me not to trust anyone and just be a lonely, grumpy bounty hunter."

With a grimace unbecoming of him, Sol would find himself on the receiving end of a burn greater than any his ever dished out from the boy he spent countless days calling a fool. "Your world must be reaaaaal small." Sin immediately lowered his arms and advised in earnest "You could at least TRY and make some friends. I think you'd like it, honestly."

A grumble came from Sin's stomach and with an awkward chuckle he turned to the left before saying "Aaaaanyways, I'm hungry. Time to get some breakfast!" He sprinted off joyously to the kitchen while the rest stayed behind. Sol stayed stationary as a humored Ky asked "Is this what they call being 'owned'?"

Sol muttered "… **He** used to say the same thing…" much to Ky's confusion. Looking down, Sol pondered "Am I just trying to turn him into me…?" Ky shook his head and told him "Don't worry, Sin understands you."

"Whatever. Let him do what he wants." Sol pulled away from the wall and with a crick of his neck he said "Shit, now I'm hungry too. If you need me to actually do shit, I'll be eating everything you got in the kitchen."

As Sol walked off, Ky nervously rubbed his chin and mentioned disheartedly "Then I will be prepared to restock…" He looked up and Alex and Shina to say "My apologies for the lack of progress. I'm trying my best to find some other leads to follow."

"We're not going anywhere." Alex leaned back against the wall and Shina nodded in agreement. Ky held his hand out and told them "Thank you. If you need anything, I will be in my office." He turned around and strolled down to the hall, passing a couple of his guards as he entered the room at the end.

Shina leaned towards Alex, failing to notice pulling back with a pained wince of the nose as she asked "So what'll we do now?" The boy sniffed a couple times and told her "How about you go take a shower? Your face smells like dog piss and ass."

The girl reeled back and quickly flicked Alex on the forehead, telling him with a scoff "You'll never get a girl like that, Alex." The boy rubbed the now sore spot and said "A-As though you'll find love from anything but a dog. You have a shower at your disposal for once, Shina. Use it so I won't have to close my eyes while you use my water and soap to clean yourself in space, geez…"

Nervously fiddling her fingers before her chest, Shina said "Awww, but I like it when you get me wet." Alex's heart skipped a bit before he scowled and told her "Sometimes I think you do this on purpose." The boy was left only with an innocuous giggle from Shina.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room far removed from the rest of the planet, three figures sat around a small tea table. They wore dapper brown trenchcoats and hats with iron masks covering their faces. The only light cast upon them came from the windows behind their tall regal chairs, but it seemed to suit them fine.

The man with the Roman numeral for one on his mask and glasses before his yellow eyes spoke first to his comrades "It was wise to pull Ky Kiske away from the Capitol. The government is having difficulty responding to us, just as predicted."

Taking a sip of tea, the only lady amongst the three calmly pointed out "I doubt this game of cat-and-mouse will last long, Axus." The man replies in agreement "Agents of Zato, as well as the King, are drawing closer to us."

The last man, with the Roman Numeral for four where his nose would be, spoke with a calm but powerful voice that could bring an entire audience's attention towards him "Who knows what, is of little consequence now. Should this plan fail, however, it will mean the end of humanity as we know it. We must be successful, whatever the cost."

"Chronus, can we truly meet the demands of the Universal Will this time…?" The woman inquired. In response the man said "Worrying will not get us through tomorrow, Libraria."

"But we've taken that tomorrow away from countless innocent souls. Can God forgive us for our sins?" Libraria inquired. Chronus took a moment before responding "A plant forms from a seed to bear fruit…and when the time comes, it drops that fruit to the ground. The fruit provides sustenance to the seeds, creating new life where there had been none."

Libraria took note, almost in a trance, as the man continued "Humans have refused to leave their branch. Desperately, they cling to it…I fear that our fruit will rot on the tree, never allowed to plant its seeds." Axus intervened for a moment to say "Or perhaps, even worse, burned away by Hell's damning fires."

Chronus glanced at his ally and muttered "You refer to that anomaly the phantom warned us about?" Axus laid his hand atop the table and mentioned "Are you sure it is wise to trust what they said?"

Quietly withdrawing his hand into his coat, Chronus pulled out a certain curved stone and rested it on the table, responding in kind to his ally's question "Under normal circumstances, no…But you saw what that boy is capable of. That phantom told us that his powers are capable of turning this very world to ash."

"But to take their gift without a second thought?" Libraria hesitated to say, yet with a shake of the head Chronus replied "The phantom demonstrated to us what this artifact can do. With it's power at our disposal, along with our plans, we shall clip the wings from that Phoenix of Destruction, and turn his flames into worthless embers."

Gripping the artifact piece a little too tightly, Chronus said "Even if our opponents are gods, we shall stand victorious over them. That…is the will of the Conclave."

 _Next Time: Family Again?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Lily**

The next day, Alex was standing out in the living room looking towards the sunrise since quite frankly he had nothing better to do. He grumbled with his arms folded "Fanciest ship in the world and they couldn't even be bothered to put in a recreational room…."

He turned around and immediately had his eyes covered by a pair of soft, silky hands. With a goofy "Peek-a-boo, guess who?!" from his assailant it wasn't long until Alex gently grabbed the person's wrists and saying dully "You're too old for this Shina."

Standing in front of him was Shina, who pulled her arms back and said "You should know better by now, you're never too old for fun!" Alex shook his head and muttered "You got to be kidding me."

After a pause the boy looked at Shina and asked "Why are you up early?" The girl giggled while itching the side of her face, sticking her tongue out while muttering "I didn't really get much sleep last night. Probably shouldn't have had that third piece of pie…"

"Yeah, cause you already have enough sugar on the brain." Alex whispered while tapping his elbows like a set of piano keys. He gave the girl's face a quick glance and saw some bags under her eyes. His suspecting hum after got her attention and she asked "Something on your mind Alex?"

"Every given day." Was his sarcastic response. Shina's lean forward and drawn out "Aleeeeeeeeex" got him to reply "Forget about it. So what's the plan for today, more meandering?"

"Well…I was hoping we could go talk with Elphelt for a bit!" Shina proclaimed after a moment of looking offending. Alex raised his brows and told her "I don't see the point. Frankly, you and Sin should be focusing on Ramlethal."

"Ya know it's not that simple Alex. We HAVE to go along with Ky's plans, so why not try and make friends with El and Ram in the meantime?" The boy turned at her and took his hands up to gently slap the sides of her face. As she closed her eyes and flinched he told her punctually with every slap "This. Is. Not. Fun. Time!"

When he was done, she looked at him with cheeks puffed and went "Hmph…! And you say you're not like Sol…" Alex glared her way and with grit teeth replied "Don't try and start that again Ms. Aurora, I ain't in the mood."

"Well why don't you prove me wrong then and try to make friends?" She insisted gently. The boy looked away and scoffed "There's no point in making friends with people we'll never see again. You can't tell me when this quest's said and done you'll remember people like Sin and Ky."

"…Of course I will." Shina started off serious at first, but the moment Alex turned his head she had a finger on both sides of her mouth to make herself smile as wide and goofily as possible. She followed on this by proclaiming "Don'tcha ever forget S&M!"

Alex's heart skipped but a beat, his stutter abruptly ended when he remembered "O-Oh right…that silly 'Smiles and Memories' mantra of yours." Shina let her mouth go back into place and she told him "So long as I remember them, I'll be able to smile about it later. Isn't that enough incentive to treasure each friendship?"

The boy went silent for a little as Shina spoke "I mean I know I'm your friend Alex, but you could stand to have more." Alex widened his eyes and gave her a glare, thinking _"I have plenty of friends! Mario, Luigi, Driad…That's what I'd like to say, but…"_ With a heavy heart he looked at the ground and muttered defensively "Gimme a break…"

Waving his hand out, he said with a groan "Fiiiine, lets just go check up on Elphelt." He began to walk off before the topic could irritate him anymore. The duo ran across Sin while on the way to the guest quarters. He was whistling merrily until he saw the others approaching. They all stopped on the opposite sides of the door, and Shina asked "Hey Sin, are you visiting Elphelt too?"

"You betcha! I was thinking about it last night, and maybe, just maybe, she can help with Ramlethal." Sin said confidently. Shina clapped her hands together and told him "Good idea! Lets give Ramlethal the ol' sisterly bonding treatment!"

Sin opened the door and went into the guest room, which had a comfortable bed on the end that Elphelt was currently resting in, nestled under the nicest quilt sheets the duo had ever seen. Elphelt was snoring with the deep purr of a car engine, even as Sin ran over to the side of the bed and yelled out "Alright Elphelt, up and at'em!"

The Valentine didn't budge, prompting Sin to kneel down and say "Wow she's really out of it." The duo stayed at the edge of the bed while Sin rubbed the sheets and said "Then again, these are pretty comfy. Kinda reminds me of the stuff mom used to tuck me in…"

Suddenly, like a crash dummy, Elphelt's body jerked upright and with her arms stretched out she proclaimed "Elphelt Valetine…Eliminate all redundancies, with extreme prejudice!" Even with her eyes shut, she could tell who was in the room and embarrassingly left her mouth agape with a ghoulish look in her eyes.

Sin immediately told her "I think I said this already, but you must have some pretty brutal dreams…" Elphelt's gaze went towards the people around her and she laid a hand on the side of her head, face flushed of color save for the blush in her cheeks "Y-You heard all that…?"

Shina and Sin proclaimed nonchalantly "Yep!" and Elphelt told them "O-Oh goodness…That's so embarrassing."

When Sin asked "Why's that?" Elphelt, glancing away and appearing vulnerable, responded kindly "W-Well I mean, ummm, for a woman, it's…uh…" While Shina nodded slowly Sin said honestly "I don't get it."

A flustered Elphelt slammed her fists on the bed and proclaimed accusingly at the others "Oh just forget it! Why are you here?!" Sin stared blankly at her and said "Hehe…Funny story, I kinda forgot already…"

Elphelt screamed "What?! How can you forget? D-Don't tell you're one of those deviants who sneak into bedrooms and watch fair maidens sleep?!" Sin calmly replied "Nope!"

With a furious glare that could melt steel, Elphelt went off on Sin "Y-You've got problems, mister! No sense of decency at all!" Alex scoffed and in agreement said "Well when your only education comes from the head honcho of stubborn bulls…"

Elphelt yelled out to him "You're no better either punk!" and Alex turned around to say "H-Hey now, don't lump me with this deviant, I-" Shina lightly pinched the back of Alex's neck and he broke into a rapid-fire string of 'Ows' as she said "Don't make this any worse Alex, you lack a woman's perspective."

When she let go Alex rubbed the back of his neck and muttered in an embarrassed tone "Hmph, says the perpetual child…" Sin held his hand out to Elphelt and asked her "Don't fret over it. Not like I harmed you."

Elphelt stuttered "Oh, oh but you DID! My self-esteem, for instance, has been destroyed!" As Sin looked on the Valentine kept ranting "And what if I get used to people seeing me when I'm all…all…GROSS I might just give up on looking good! That would hurt! That would hurt a lot! Not to mention all the sleep I'm going to lose from reliving this horrible moment! M-My face must have been so…so…"

She stopped very suddenly with a shocked expression and her hands twitching before her chest. Brushing her head away from Sin, she asked weakly "W-Was I…drooling?" With a raise of his brows Sin said "No…?" and Elphelt did well to try and hide her small relieved smirk.

Sin chuckled along with Shina, the girl clapping her hands together and saying "Oh that's just the worst. Sis would always catch me with drool trickling down my face when I wake up. I feel your pain, Elphelt." Elphelt firmly nodded her head and exclaimed "At least SOMEONE here does!" She directed a fierce glare at Sin as he continued chuckling like a loon.

"This is nothing to laugh about!" At that point Sin broke his laughter to say "It's nothing like that. I'm just surprised how much emotion you have compared to the last Valentine." Elphelt's rage broke and she asked "S-So you believe me? That I have emotions?"

Sin shrugged while saying "Not that hard. If you didn't, you wouldn't have thrown that huge fit." Shina innocently spoke out "It's true, that same thing is preventing Alex from being labeled a robot!"

"Boy, SOMEBODY brought their A-Game for sass today." Alex grumbled while the girl giggled beside him. Elphelt laid a hand on her chest and began to get out of bed while saying to Sin "I'm a little surprised…I thought that after Mr. Badguy said they were just an act, you'd…well…"

"Heh, sometimes I think the old man's so smart he loops back around to being dumb. He gets all grumpy when he can't explain something with logic." Sin said jollily. Alex added onto that "Basically, he's on the bottom of the tier list for 'empathy' out of everyone on this ship."

Shina gave him a glance and he quickly remedied his words "O-Ok fine, he's just barely above Ramlethal." Sin looked at him with a hearty chuckle until he opened his eyes and looked a little shocked. With Alex receiving a little punch to the back of his head the group heard the voice of Sol bitterly telling Sin "Sure is easy to talk shit about people when they aren't around."

The man budged Alex aside with his arm and stood next to Sin, taking in the surprised and concerned gasp from Elphelt with little care. Sin rested his arms behind his head and told him "It's not talking shit if it's true." Sol looked him in the eyes and said bluntly "Why do you never think things through? Did I forget to teach you about 'self-preservation' too?!"

"Aw relax already. El's not gonna try anything, right?" Sin looked at the Valentine as she nodded her head twice and said "O-Of course not!"

"That's all it takes?" Sol said frustratingly, and Shina defiantly told the man "Of course that's all it should take! You think someone as honest as her would lie?"

Sol raised the back of his hand towards Shina and told her "That's easily programmable. The same shit could apply to you too, Valentine." He brandished a finger at Shina, but it didn't stay up for long as Alex grabbed onto and forced it down while saying "Only thing that needs programming is you. You're just a broken record at this point."

Sol jerked his hand back and said "What a pain in the ass…" before turning back to Elphelt and telling her "Whatever interrogation you're trying, it's pointless on this dumbass. All that comes out of his mouth is a steady stream of bullshit."

Sin glared at him dully for a little before rubbing the back of his head and admitting "Y-Yeah…can't really argue that. So what about you old man? Found anything out on the Cradle?" Sol lowered his head and muttered "If I DID I wouldn't be on this crappy vacation cruise."

"Get on with it, hothead." Alex blurted out, prompting Sol to look at him and inquire loudly "Oh I'm sorry, do YOU have anything to contribute?" The boy smirked and with a mocking brush of his hair said "Every group needs sarcastic commentary, and alas it falls on me to be the expert you need."

"So you're worthless. What a shock." Sol dully looked back at Sin, leaving Alex with a scowl. Sol explained "The governments across the world are talking shit without end because they're blind as bats. Our info might help, but…"

"But what? Sounds easy to just give it to them." Sin simply said. Sol pointed out "No it's not. The Conclave's behind this, and they got eyes and ears everywhere. The more people we tell, the higher chance of us spilling the beans to them."

"Then obviously we should just take all the Conclave's allies and throw them into a jail somewhere." Sin commented, but it was Shina who spoke out against that idea "Uhhh, if I'm remembering my history books right, isn't there something called 'due process' for criminals?"

Alex groaned while rearing his head back, commenting on the matter "Unfortunately yes. You need solid evidence to throw the Conclave's allies in jail. That's not even getting into PROVING they exist in the first place. We don't have time to fly to every government office and perform interrogations."

"Yeppie, it's not as simple as finding a magic stone to kill a tyrant." Shina remarked, and Alex brushed his hand out while commenting "'Simple' being a relative term here…"

"This all sounds like a major pain in the ass." Sin said while leaning back against the window. Sol grumbled "Hate to say it, but they're right. There's not even enough jails to hold those cowards, assuming we could even find the ones that hauled ass out of their countries. Our best bet is to find out what the Cradle's even doing."

Sin asked Elphelt "You sure you don't know anything El?" The Valentine shook her head and muttered "S-Sorry…" Sol growled a little and looked away, preparing to head back to the door. Before he got very far it opened up and Ky walked in with a happy look on his face.

"There you all are. We may have found a powerful ally." Upon everyone looking at Ky, Sin in particular asked "What's up Ky?" while Sol more demandingly said "Explain."

Ky looked him in the eyes and said "Leo has begun to doubt the Conclave as well. I know it means doubling back, but we need to go to Zepp." Gritting his teeth irritatingly, Sol said "Zepp?!" Ky quickly told him "Leo has a secure line to them. Their communications system is extremely advanced. Our technology can't crack it. I suspect they intend to use that secure line."

With a raise of his brows Sol's expression eased, and he started to rub his chin while commenting "Zepp never joined the UN, and they're not allied with the Conclave. And a floating continent can avoid other countries pretty easily…Whaddya know, there's still a few people with a head on their shoulders in Illyria."

"Yes. There is something I wish to discuss with you before we arrive in Zepp, if you would follow me." Ky and Sol then left the room. Alex sighed and said "Finally, we're getting somewhere. Whatever wiseass decided to put the artifact piece here should be punched in the face."

The boy looked at Shina, but she was currently focused rather deeply on Sin and Elphelt. The two sat side-by-side on the bed and Sin laid back, grumbling bitterly "Damn old man, you're so stubborn…" Elphelt glanced at him and asked "Sin…Why do you call him 'old man' all the time? You two seems so close…"

Sin blinked a little and said "Oh yeah, I guess we've been asking all these questions but we haven't really told you about us, have we? Go right ahead, ask us whatever you want." Alex folded his arms and with a blush blurted out "N-Now wait a second, don't speak for all of us. I-"

"I'd be glad to!" Shina interrupted happily. Elphelt smiled and said "Sure, I'll ask you guys a little later. Right now I'm interested in Sin…" The boy sat upright as Elphelt gave her first inquiry "You said you were Mr. Kiske's kid, right?"

Sin looked at his legs and thought on that before answering "Sol's been raising me since I was little. We spent a lot of time traveling together so yeah, I guess we're pretty close…But with Ky, well…I-It's complicated." The boy was noticeably embarrassed and began rubbing the back of his head.

"Whew, that's a relief…" Elphelt said, a hand resting on her chest. Sin confusedly replied "What?" and the Valentine continued "For a moment I thought you hated him. I-I mean, you look so distant…I'm glad it's not the case!"

"…Well yeah, I guess so. But I did used to hate him."

"Huh?" Elphelt muttered. Sin looked at everyone as he explained seriously "See, my mom's a Gear. Gears aren't exactly, uh, popular, so we had to live in hiding. That's the way the wind blow, but…When I was a kid I kept wondering how long we'd have to keep doing that, and whose fault it was. I guess I just ended up blaming Ky…"

Elphelt and Shina gave him a forlorn stare, but Sin just cracked a smile and was proud to admit "I was so, so wrong…He was fighting as hard as he could for a world where Gears and humans could live together happily. It's not been an easy fight. My mom's kind of stuck in Illyaria right now, but Ky's been…well, amazing. He saved her right when she was about to die, and…"

Shina, with hands clenched near her heart, let out a tearful sniffle while Elphelt was a little more…open with her emotions.

"Waaaaaaah!" Teardrops bawled out of her eyes and her face was red with embarrassment. Sin jerked back and said "W-Whoa now! Are you crying?"

Elphelt clutched her hands on her chest, her eyes getting all misty as she exclaimed "That's true love! What a wonderful story…Sniff…Forbidden love that transcends all boundaries!" Shina proclaimed as well "It's just like Romeo and Juliet!"

Alex gripped his arms tightly and told her "You idiot! Don't say that! You want Ky and Dizzy to die?!" Sin looked at him and inquired "Huh? Ky told you about her already?"

As Shina knocked on the wood at the end of the bed, it served as a fitting sound for the awkward pause Alex had. With a stunned look he thought _"Oh CRAP I just pulled a Shina. Quick Alex, segue, segue!"_ The boy looked at Elphelt and say her looking a little depressed, and as a spark went off in his head he said "H-Hey, something's up with Elphelt!"

"O-Oh…I'm just lamenting the true love I'll never get to savor…Don't mind me." Elphelt muttered, forcing a smile. Sin was thankfully distracted from the prior topic and said "Well alright, if that's how it works."

Elphelt in turn went on to another subject by asking "So you don't hate him anymore, right? Then why don't you call Mr. Kiske 'dad'?" Sin stammered out "Pffffft what?" and Elphelt glared and told him "Don't give me that lip mister."

"…I'm sorry, I shouldn't force you to do that. But I think someday, you'll want to. Just…promise me you will, okay?" Elphelt asked with a glimmering smile, but Sin shook his head and said "You can't expect me to do that. It's…not that easy."

Shina leaned over the edge of the bed and said to Sin earnestly "You're luckier than you give yourself credit for. I'd give anything to be able to call someone daddy." Sin then asked "You don't have a father?" in a surprised tone.

The girl nodded before replying "Yep, it's just me, sis and mom back home. There's a friend of mom's who's acted like a father but biologically, I have no idea who he is-slash-was." Sin said empathetically "Gee, no wonder you tried so hard to get the old man to help."

Sin then looked at Elphelt and said "Speaking of mothers, what's up with yours?" Elphelt widened her eyes and muttered "H-Huh? Our Mother? …I'm sorry but, I don't really know her."

"Huh? How's that possible?" Sin inquired. Elphelt explained "Well…our Mother doesn't have a physical body. When Valentines are born, they are given orders, personalities and abilities. But that's all just implanted as memories. Nobody ever GIVES it to us. So Ram and I have never touched or seen our Mother…"

There was a melancholy silence in the air until Sin rubbed the back of his head and said "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up something uncomfortable." Elphelt giggled in response "O-Oh, don't be! Honestly, I'm happy to finally be able to talk about this with somebody! Maybe that's why I…I've always wanted to be part of a real family!"

At that moment, Shina leaped past Sin and landed on the side of the bed, gently grabbing onto Elphelt's hands as she kneeled down. "Then why yearn any longer? You have a sister, and though we're not from the same mother…Sin, Alex and I can be your family too!" As she spoke so enthusiastically, Alex readied his usual dour response "Stop lumping me into your crazy ideas!"

Closing her eyes Shina whispered "Ignore him, he's an enemy of all love and goodness in the world." She then widened her eyes with a glimmer in them while asking "So whatcha say El? How'd you like to have a family for the first time?"

With a flustered expression, Elphelt looked away and said "O-Oh my gosh, I don't know how to respond to this forwardness…This is such a wonderful proposal but…" Sin grinned and pointed out "Hey, that sounds like a great idea! But uhhh…how's it going to work without Ramlethal?"

Shina looked at Elphelt and exclaimed "Oh that's right! Ram's been pretty stubborn about not expressing emotions…El, do you want to try and help us out with her?" The Valentine grinned and proclaimed "Hell yeah! I'm going to awaken Ram to the joys of womanhood and then we can be one big happy family!"

Upon declaring that, she jumped out of bed in front of Shina, who said "Then lets go go GO!" before the two of them skipped their way out of the room. Alex, left with Sin, rubbed the side of his head while his heart felt like it was fluttering. "I'd like to formally apologize to your sanity for this, Sin."

Sin got up and slapped Alex on the back. With a jolly declaration of "Ah relax, this is fun. Besides, what else is there to do on this ship?" he began to head out. The boy pouted and looked away, saying in a disgruntled tone "How about getting on with this damn plot…" Nevertheless, he found himself drawn to follow those goofs to the interrogation room.

Sin swung the door wide open and exclaimed "Hey hey, we're back!" At the table, Ramlethal turned her attention away from the magehound sitting happily on her head and muttered stoically "What are you doing here? It seems strange you can come in here so easily…"

The dog bit one of her fingers and she let out a dry "Ow!" Sin smiled and said "Eh, everyone knows me pretty well. I can go where I please." Ramlethal lowered her hands and told him "Your security seems inadequate…Don't you have anything better to do?"

Alex told her dryly "Nope, we really don't." Sin shrugged and said "Yep, everyone else is getting ready to meet some bigwig in Zepp, so I thought we'd take advantage of this to talk." As Ramlethal is once again bitten by the dog, Sin continued "Besides, I'd probably screw everything up if I got involved."

"Self-awareness? How unexpected…" Ramlethal dryly noted before tilting her head towards Elphelt and Shina and asking "Then what are THEY doing here?" Alex thought in an insulted manner _"What am I, chopped liver?"_

Elphelt clapped her hands and declared "We're going to get you to show emotions so you can be part of our family!" Ramlethal closed her eyes and said "Preposterous, I do not have emotions. But if showing them would get you to leave…"

Holding a hand before her face, she pulled it away quickly to reveal her feral grin and slanted eyes. Shina waved an aura fan at her head and said in a tone similar to a pompous director "Ramlethal, darling, I need some real emotion from you. Cut! Start from the beginning!"

"You're ridiculous." Ramlethal replied while returning her expression back to normal. Hanging her head a little, she told them all "No, all of you are. When will you get that tools can't have emotions?"

Elphelt said "I'm not giving up on you Ram. I know you are capable of smiling." Sin held a hand out in front of the Valentine and said "Lets not try too hard here. I got an idea…" He then turned to the other Valentine and asked her "So you can answer any question not related to the plan, right?"

In a surprised stutter Ramlethal replied "I-I suppose that'd be fine…" Sin grinned and reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a nice juicy burger wrapped in a glistening foil. It carried a fresh charbroiled smell that got Alex's mouth watering, something he tried to hide with a turn of the head.

Hamming it up, Sin told Ramlethal "I got you a nice juicy burger from Danny Missiles! It's delicious!" The Valentine dryly looked at him and muttered "Beg pardon…? You seem to believe I care how food tastes. All that matters is that it provides the correct nutrients in the correct amounts."

Alex commented "True, a body requires nourishment" followed by Sin saying "Oh don't be like that Ram. Can't you at least tell me what you think of this piece of nourishment?" The boy walked forward and started unraveling the burger. First came the steaming buns, then the moist lettuce, pickles and tomatoes. The meat, grilled with a little redness left inside, was dressed in oozing cheddar cheese. Then, it was all topped up with a pair of breasts…

Alex blinked out of his trance when Shina leaned in the way, letting out a rough cough and looking away. Sin handed the burger off to Ramlethal and despite the look of hesitation on her face she bit into it right away. After a few seconds of chewing, a few green sparks emerged from her mouth. Reeling her head back with an exasperated expression, it was as if she was being rocketed away to a tastebud paradise.

She then stared at the burger while Sin eagerly asked "Weeeeeell, how is it?" Ramlethal closed her eyes and said "I'm afraid I cannot provide a subjective analysis…But from an objective point of view I'd say this burger is…" Raising his head up and exclaiming "No no no!" Sin immediately reprimanded her with "Just give me the first word that came to mind when you ate it."

"….Sal-ty…"

When that came out, the wide and merry grin on Sin's face should've been taken with a camera. He pumped his fists and declared "Yes! That's the spirit! Now there's something else I want to try!" Shina said curiously "What's up Sin?"

"I think we should have…a party!" Sin clapped his hands, and everyone but him and Shina dully went "What?"

"You know…a celebration? Come on, don't tell you've never heard of a party?" He waited for someone to answer but only Shina had something to say on the matter "Well a party's nice and all, but…shouldn't we have a better reason to celebrate than Ramlethal using a new adjective?"

"I guess so, but what could we celebrate? Halloween was yesterday…" Sin rattled his head around the idea while Shina began to noticeably twiddle her fingers behind her back. Alex took note of this along with the nervous tone she put on "W-Well what about a birthday?"

"Hey, that could work! …Does anyone have a birthday right around now?" Sin looked around but got denying shakes from Elphelt, Ramlethal and Alex. Shina glanced back at Alex and asked him "It's been nine and a half months roughly since we left, right?"

Confirming confusedly with a "Yes?" Alex raised his brows as Shina turned around and slowly raised her arm up and told Sin "B-Back at my world's time, it would've been my 17th Birthday a couple days ago."

Alex could only widen his eyes and let out a simple mutter of "W-What?" while Sin clapped his hands and said "Alright then! We'll all celebrate a birthday party! I'll go see if there's any food left in the kitchen!"

As Sin made his way out of the room, Alex looked at a rather evasive Shina and thought _"Shina, why didn't you say something sooner?"_

 _Next Time: Fading Time_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Birthday Train**

In a matter of minutes, Sin had managed to transform a well-kept interrogation room into his own party joint. The big table had been flipped over near the now opened windows, replaced with a couple of smaller rounded tables with green tops fitting for card games. It must be for the guards' in their free time. Alex and Ramlethal reacted dully, shaking their heads at the ridiculous turn of events.

Elphelt and Shina were happily writing down ideas on what they could do on a heart-shaped notepad the Valentine was carrying in her seemingly infinitely storing pockets. Alex raised his brows and muttered suspiciously "…What is up with you now?"

Closing his eyes and raising his head, the boy leaned back upon the closest pillar and started doing some calculations _"It was practically the beginning of June when our journey began. So nine and a half months would mean…March?!"_

Widening his eyes open, Alex muttered with a brief pain in his heart "W-What the hell…That's too close, her birthday couldn't possibly be-" Sin waved his hand out, distracting all thoughts the boy possibly had. When Alex looked at Sin, he asked "Yo, there's a TON of food we can raid from Ky's fridge! Come on, turn that frown upside-down and help out!"

Alex pulled himself away from the pillar and told him bluntly "I forget the part where I wanted to party." Sin frowned and shook his head a little before saying "I honestly thought Ramlethal would be the party pooper. Your life must really be lacking in fun."

"Hey, that's what I'VE been saying!" Shina chimed out, waving her hand as if Alex didn't know it was her. Alex looked at Ramlethal and asked with a gesture "Your thoughts on the matter?"

Ramlethal said in an absolutely dull tone "We are both prisoners in this horrible phenomenon you redundancies call…'life'…But, if I must be trapped in this nightmare, at least it would be better to get it over with than attempt a futile resistance." Afterwards, she was bitten by the magehound and let out her usual 'Ow!'

Sin swayed his arms out and said "See? Now you REALLY look like a party pooper." Alex grit his teeth and cracked a bizarre and forced smile while thinking _"I'm losing out to a doll?! I am NOT that bad at showing emotions, am I?!"_

Suddenly the ship shook as Alex pounded his fists together and started cracking each of his knuckles one bone at a time, all while keeping that odd grin. Sin stepped nervously back as Alex said firmly "So…I can't have _FUN_ you say? You think I'm more dull than the stoic genocidal robot, that's it, eh?"

"H-Hey, calm down! Nobody was saying you…" Sin waved his arms out but Alex just froze him with a glare, his smile fading into a scowl before he mentioned "No no no, you're right. If we're going to have a party… _lets have a party!_ "

As he began to head for the door, Alex swung an arm out and exclaimed "Come on Sin! We're going to fun the FUCK out of this party!" Once he was out, Sin limped forward and muttered "G-Geez, not even the old man's that harsh…'Cept the time he stubbed his toes on a Gear corpse."

With a glance at the others, Sin finished off in a surprised tone "I learned a lot of words that day…" Then, he perked right back up and strolled out the door. As this all happened, Shina had a chipper smile on her face and admitted nonchalantly "At least Alex is finally learning to open up!"

It didn't take long for the door to be kicked open, and Alex walked in carrying towers of food plates that even he was having difficulty balancing. He placed the food on the closest table as Sin walked in with his own food, looking at the now disjointed and crackling door before commenting "…Wasn't that a sliding door?"

He shook his head and placed the food down, proclaiming proudly to his guests "Alright, let the birthday feast…BEGIN!" Elphelt stood in gasping awe of those plentiful plates and with a hand to her mouth asked "W-We're not going to eat all of this NOW? Don't you know what this could do to a woman's figure?!"

As the Valentine glared flustered at Sin, the boy relaxed on a chair at the north end of the table and said "Course not. We'll eat, burn some of it off with fun times, then eat some more. Keep that up and we won't gain any weight." He then immediately tugged a chicken leg from the pile and ripped the meat right from the bone like he was a starved vulture.

Alex folded his arms and said "I don't know how Gear and Valentine metabolism works, but I don't think Shina will get to enjoy most of-" With a turn of the head his expression was left flabbergasted as Shina was tearing into the food without restraint. Meat, veggies and fruits were dragged into her carnivorous maw and blended into an unrecognizable tornado of paste that she somehow managed to swallow without choking.

In spite of this, Shina snapped away from her animalistic behavior and gave a smile that was the only clean part of her sauce dripping mouth, and while gesturing a barbeque chicken wing at Alex she said "Don't worry, I have pretty good metabolism." The boy glanced up and down her body for a moment and with a blush on his face stuttered "N-No arguments here."

With a sparkling in her eyes as the chicken wing continued to wiggle slower and slower before her face, Shina exclaimed gleefully "Ooooh, you only get to turn 17 once!" and then went back to eating. Alex shook his head and looked at the towers of food, wondering _"Is this even going to last the night? Geez…"_

After a little staring he blinked and muttered in surprise "…Is that a carrot cake?" After a little looking around he swiped the cake from the pile and turned around to start eating it. He hid his bliss pretty damn well considering all the eyes in the room.

Meanwhile, Elphelt sat beside Ramlethal as she partook slowly in a burger from the food pile. In Elphelt's hands was a plate with a piece of nice, silky white cake. Budging the plate close to Ramlethal's face, Elphelt took a piece of it from the fork and said "Look Ram, it's a wedding cake!"

The stoic Valentine let the edge of the plate rest against her cheek as she responded "A wedding cake…? And just what differentiates it from the other deserts in it's category?" Elphelt pulled back and with a gentle and surprised "Oh!" explained with great enthusiasm "Well, a wedding cake is the type of cake that two lovers partake in on their day of union! First the wife and husband take a piece of cake and give a bite of their piece to the other, then they share a sweet and powerful kiss that only those truly in love could experience!"

Elphelt laid a hand aside her blushing aside and remarked "Oh, with their lips frosted with their frosting as they tenderly share their love in an eternally sealing kiss…How can a young maiden's heart not go aflutter at such a sight?" Ramlethal dully broke the joy from her sister's tone by saying "Then how is what you have a wedding cake? You have not answered my question El."

Widening her eyes open, Elphelt said "Huh? I thought I was. Maybe if I elaborated a bit-" Ramlethal bluntly said "No" and Elphelt puffed her cheeks and grumbled "Oh fine, later then."

She then looked down at the plate and wiggled her fork in the cake, remarking in a serious tone "I guess when I look at this cake…I-It reminds me of what I'll never have." Ramlethal raised her brows a little as her sister forced a grin and eventually stopped touching the fork altogether.

"Mother said I'm not allowed to know true love. So I'll never get to experience womanhood, never marry, never have my own wedding cake…" Elphelt continued without dipping into a melancholy tone "But it's so strange…Despite that, it was because of a wedding that I was able to break free from my programming. Or maybe it's more cruel than strange…"

Ramlethal closed her eyes and commented "I was not born with such an absurd function, your plight means nothing to me." Elphelt grinned and replied "That's alright, I think I just wanted to get that off my chest."

Ramlethal looked at her sister and saw a small tear trickling down her cheek along with her smile trembling. The Valentine, for a moment, felt her heart beat slowly and laid a hand on her chest, looking confused yet unable to express it in words. Then, she faced Elphelt and after a few seconds asked her sincerely "El, can you show me some foods that you are interested in? Perhaps I will learn more ways to personally describe them if I get another person's perspective…"

Elphelt's eyes lit up as though that light had never been lost and she proclaimed "Would I?! Sure thing sis, I'll show you some of the best foods possible!" She scrambled for the food and accidentally dropped the wedding cake on the ground, but didn't seem to notice or care.

After everyone enjoyed the feast for about half an hour, Sin pushed the table away without any signs of fatigue. Meanwhile, Shina laid slanted against the chair with shirt pulled halfway up and the back of her hands laid dramatically against her forehead. "Oooooh…it was a feast fit for a queen…" She moaned in a posh accent.

Alex folded his arms and commented "I'm not carrying you back to bed, tubby." Shina turned her head and peered past her fingers before commenting "Well duh, my legs are still working. And we still have plenty of partying to do! Come on Alex, why don't you suggest what we do next?"

The boy blinked a couple times and pointed at himself "Me? You think I should suggest something?" Shina shrugged her shoulders and told him "Well you were ranting about fun earlier. Now all you've been doing is standing around like an island totem."

"Weren't you and Elphelt working on a list?" Alex murmured. Elphelt blurted embarrassingly "We tried, but we couldn't come up with anything good" and the boy widened his eyes while glaring at the two _"YOU couldn't come up with something?"_

With a grumble that would've been fitting for a snarling bulldog, Alex said "Ok fine, then how about we try something simple like a game of cards? Surely on deck there's a deck." Sin commented "You did that on pur-" only to get a fierce glare from the boy as he said firmly "I said 'is there a DECK on the DECK?'"

"Haaaaaa…I'm sure I'd find something if I take a look. Just promise me you won't burn the cards if you lose." Sin said with a nervous grin as he rubbed the back of his head. Alex raised his brows and inquired nonchalantly "Long story?"

"Long story…" Sin replied near instantly. He then headed on out to accomplish the harrowing task of finding a deck of cards. Surprisingly, it only took him three minutes, and by then a round table and five chairs had been set up.

Sin waved the cards around and said "Alright, got it! So…what game should we play?" He sat down and slapped the deck in the center, with Alex folding his arms and saying "Isn't it obvious? Poker."

"That's not fair, Ramlethal has the perfect Poker Face. Besides, I don't think there's any chips on the ship." Shina said. Sin nodded his head and explained "It's true. Guess Ky doesn't want his men gambling. Kinda boring if you ask me…"

Elphelt snapped her fingers and said "Oh, I know! How about Hearts?!" Alex glared at her and asked "Who in their right mind has actually played that game?"

Sin smiled and suggested "I've played a bit of Solitaire, but that's a one person game…" Ramlethal closed her eyes and remarked dryly "You say Poker is out of the question because we have nothing to gamble. I say you're wrong. Mother's records reveal to me many variations we can acclimate to that do not require your simple chips. For example, Strip Po-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Everyone but Sin screamed out, and Ramlethal's face went blank with shock. Sin scratched the side of his head and commented "You know, it's pretty boring but…How about Go Fish?"

"Go Fish?" Alex blinked a couple times then smiled nostalgically, commenting to the others "You know, that doesn't sound too bad." Shina suddenly broke his concentration by slapping her hands on the table and saying "Well I got a way to make this really exciting! This ain't going to be a normal game of Go Fish…"

" _Oh god…"_ Alex's mind, drenched in dread, could not even come CLOSE to being prepared as Shina thrust her pointer finger out hard enough to kick up a gale while she exclaimed "This is going to be a game of TRUTH OR DARE EXTREME ELIMINATION GO FISH!"

Alex stammered out "A-Again I ask, what the HELL kind of upbringing did you have?!" Sin meanwhile grinned brightly and stood up, slamming his hands on the table and saying "That sounds exciting, what do we do?!"

Shina turned around, hiding her Cheshire grin as she explained "It's like this. We play Go Fish like normal, but…" She swung her body to the right and pointed out, saying with the energy of an anime protagonist "The loser of every round is permanently eliminated from the game and are to be subjected to either a truth or dare from the people that placed above them."

Alex, with a confident smirk all of a sudden, responded to that comment while pretending to push some glasses into place "I see…So what you're saying is that the absolute winner will get to give a dare to everyone else?" In a saucy voice he continued "That's pretty dangerous. I'm in."

Sin and Elphelt joined in too with a "Sounds fun!" while Ramlethal dryly commented "How juvenile. But for the prospect of making you look like even greater fools than you already are, I suppose I shall consign to these conditions."

"Then it's settled! Shuffle and deal the cards Sin and we'll get started! The ultimate game of Go Fish begins now!" Shina proclaimed while confidently folding her arms under her chest. Sin started dealing out the cards one by one, leaving some on the center of the table to be picked up later.

Alex, hiding a grin behind the cards in his left hand, looked at all of his blissfully unaware opponents while reaching at the stone on his right pocket. _"Hahaha…Too bad for all of you, I may not have the entire deck, but I hold all the cards in this game! First, I'll use the Gaia Temporis to stop time, then I'll move around in the frozen time and look at all of your hands. Once I've memorized your hands, I will subtly set up mirrors so I can continue to check up on any new cards you get without hesitation."_

With a wince of his left cheek, Alex chuckled and continued _"Ohohoho…You shouldn't have put such high stakes on this game Ms. Aurora. I cannot possibly lose this…"_

 _ **One hour later…**_

The card table was being put away. Alex was on hands and knees with a completely dumbfounded look on his face. His pupils were shrunk, and all he could do was stammer while his thoughts came out incoherently _"H-How did I get last place?! Was I out-CHEATED?!"_

Sin looked down at that wreck of a boy and whistled "Wow, tough break dude. But hey, I'll keep it simple. Just tell me what your favorite food is later!" Elphelt grinned slyly and said to Sin "Oohohoh, I got some crazy dares in mind for you though! Don't think you can get away!"

"Hehehe…Well, you did get third. It's alright, I can take whatever you throw at me!" Sin pumped his fist out, but his attempt at confidence was betrayed by the way it shook. Shina, who was stacking the cards in a perfect order, looked at Alex and said happily "I liked the mirror trick Alex! It really brought a layer of strategy to this game!"

The boy's eyes froze in a widened state and he thought back to how the game played out. Remembering the cards in Shina and Elphelt's hands being hidden from view, he said under grated breath "C-Curse your cartoonishly sized melons!"

Despite that bumpy card game, the party continued on with little frustration from Alex's end. He got from Sin and Ramlethal's truths pretty quickly, and Elphelt's dare was for them to swap clothes. The only thing he worried about there, besides the fact that the dress fit snugly on him, was that Elphelt might tear his shirt. Thankfully, it was returned to him just a little stretched out. Shina kept her truth or dare to herself for the time being.

Once the other truth and dares were sorted out, the group kept partying. Ramlethal got to try the 'splendors' of spicy food thanks to Sin's mischief, more games were played without any crazy bets, and everything went by so smoothly that nobody managed to notice when the sun rose. What Alex noticed, however, was Shina silently leaving the room while carrying what looked like a wine bottle.

With the others distracted by their shenanigans, Alex murmured "I guess I can see what's up…" and let his curiosity get the better of him. He left the room and looked around, finding Shina going towards the living room and following her a moment later. He didn't let himself get caught by hiding around the corner, watching carefully as Shina stood with waist against the windowsill and bottle raised beside her shoulder.

With a fingernail partially lodged in the cork, Shina said in a quiet melancholy "Thanks for the gift, sis…" and popped the cork right off. Liquid bubbled out and was contained in a cup of aura that Shina began to drink from a moment later. Plopping the bottle on the table nearby as she sat down, that melancholy air around her was so thick it was almost projected like an aura.

Alex gripped the corner of the wall and muttered "What the hell…" He pulled himself away and without thinking exclaimed "Why are you drinking something like that?!" Shina hopped and yelled out an "Eeep!" before turning to confirm who was yelling at her.

Using a burning glare unlike any she had given before, Shina said to Alex "I-It's not wine. It's just a soda!" The boy held his hand against the wall and with a flummoxed expression said "S-Soda?"

"… _Why the hell is Ky putting soda in an expensive bottle…"_ With an embarrassed expression Alex turned away and said "Sorry, I should've looked closer…" He then turned around only for Shina to yell out "Wait!"

He stopped and glanced back, with Shina nestling the cushion to the left of her and murmuring "C-Can we talk for a bit Alex?" Alex paused and thought on it just for a little bit. With a sigh he said "Alright sure."

He approached the couch slowly and sat down, with Shina offering him his own aura cup of soda. He shook his hand out and she took it away quietly. Then, after a sip from her cup she said "Sin's a good kid…He held a birthday party for a complete and utter strange."

"Good to a fault. Guess that's what happens when the princess of pacifism marries the good natured prince." Alex's comment got Shina chuckling, though he quickly admits "Hey, it's not really funny."

When she suddenly stopped chuckling, Alex found that odd. Shina shook her head a little and said "You know, this is the first birthday I had without my family." Leaning against the back of the couch, her hair covered her eyes and she continued with a clearly forced smile "I wonder what type of present sis would've actually gotten for me."

As her smile widened, a sparkle trickled down the side of her face born of the rising sun. Then, after a few seconds, her teeth trembled until she bit down on her lower lip and caused it to quiver too. Alex could only muster the courage to say her name quietly. She then asked rather poignantly "Alex…it has been nine and a half months since we left, right?"

"I-I mean…time flows differently for others worlds, so…"

Alex closed his eyes and with a gesture out said "Look, I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty of it, but so long as you're with me our time flows in uniform with our home worlds. So yes, it's been nine and a half months. Not a day more, not a day less."

"Oh thank god…" Shina sighed out, her first breath of relief in a while. But it was not to last as she let out a rather pained sounding gasp and leaned forward, covering her face entirely with her hair as she lamented to Alex "…Still, that means soon enough…sis will be fifteen years old. She won't have a gift from me to look forward to."

Shina paused for a little but got no response from Alex. She continued calmly "…Alex, what's your birthday?" The boy jerked back and muttered "M-My birthday?" He knew the answer, clearly, but what came from his mouth was only a lie "I-I don't remember. It's been so long since I celebrated one."

"…O-Oh. I guess even someone like you could lose track of time on some things, eh?" Shina chuckled, but there was nothing genuine about it. She then lifted her head up a little and with a tired face said "Ya know, you never really learn the value of time until you're away from the people you spent it with on a daily basis."

"Every second, every minute, every hour…Eventually I'm not counting how long it's been since I left, but how long it'll be until it's all made meaningless." Shina took another sip from her shaking soda cup and continued "I-I know I was being uncharacteristically selfish about asking for the birthday party Alex…But for one day, one day I will never get to celebrate again, was it really wrong to **be** selfish?"

Alex sat still for a few seconds, all those words and questions blurring in his head yet no answers coming forth from them. All he could do is reflect on what Johnny said to him _"A lady like her…I reckon she'll need a shoulder to lean on."_

Gritting his teeth a little, Alex thought _"Why me though? Why is it always MY shoulder she leans on? She can't seriously look at me and think I'm someone with all the answers…Ky, Sin…Hell even Sol would be better to talk to than me. What about me screams 'reliable'…? Cause I'm just…I'm just…not."_

The boy stood right up and the shift in weight got Shina to turn her head. Alex rubbed the back of his head and grumbled "I'm sorry…I'm not in a very talkative mood." Shina mumbled gently "It's ok Alex. I was just…hoping you'd listen."

She did not utter another word as Alex slowly walked to the hallway, glancing back a couple times as Shina simply swung her soda around in the glass. The boy gripped the wall tightly enough to bend the metal and then tucked his hands in his pockets, grumbling in frustration "All you had to do was say your birthday was the same as hers. Seven words, how hard is that?!"

As the boy got near the exit of the ship, he said angrily "God, I just really need to PUNCH something already!" then smashed his gloved fist into his palm. His gaze happened to move to the right during that, and that's when he noticed the door was open and Sol and Ky stood outside. They were in the middle of greeting a blue-suited military man with a slightly pointed nose and a moustache that extended past both sides of his face.

"Huh…didn't notice we arrived at Zepp. That was fast." Alex muttered, by then the trio outside heading off to parts unknown. With intrigue in his eyes, the boy said "Well, if we're here then that can only mean…"

Chuckling to himself, Alex rubbed his hands together and decided to take a trip out of the ship. Exiting via a bounding leap, he caught the nearby mechanical guards by surprise and one of them asked "Halt, who are you?" Alex glanced over his shoulder and told them honestly "I'm with the King and Sol, what do you think?"

The left solider rubbed his chin and commented "Ah, so you are. We did receive word he had other guests aboard the ship. Very well, if you wish to see them, just follow the passageway north and eventually you'll reach our President's meeting chambers. But try anything funny…" With a gesture of his spear his message was clear.

Alex grinned and said "Oh don't worry, I'm only here to help." He then ran northbound towards a tunnel hidden within a large metallic wall. In the moments before he entered the darkness, Alex could feel how different the nation of Zepp was compared to the rest of the world. Everything was run by steam machinery and technology. Barely a scrap of magic could be felt in the air. Even so, this place was far more advanced than anything from his world.

"Heh, I'm almost impressed…Almost." Alex muttered as he broke his sprint to more stealthily sneak his way into the President's chambers. He didn't want Sol or Ky to catch him out and about for the same reason Sin didn't want to be here, for fear he'd ruin the meeting. As he approached the meeting room, Alex thought _"Then again, I'm technically breaking and entering…When did I stop being an Overlord and start being a Crime Lord, geez…"_

He hid around the corner of the room's entrance and looked at a portrait across the way. With a wave of the hand he turned it into a mirror so he can look inside. There was a Presidential desk similar to what Alex expected from the White House on his world, and a couple white flags beside the desk were Zepp's specialty. There were a few other knicks and knacks around, but the people inside were more important to focus on.

Besides Sol and Ky was Gabriel Zepp, the military man from earlier and the President of his nation, but in front of the trio was a man who by all means should not still be walking this mortal plain. He was a tall and pale man that wore a skin-tight leather suit from his toes up to his collared neck. His shoulders were draped in a nice black trench coat while his eyes were covered in a crimson visor that also had a belt across it. Finally, there was his light blonde hair, which with the rest of his appearance would imply he is a suave and caring individual. Sadly, that is not the case, but for now his true allegiances had no effect on the conversation he was currently having with his company.

At the moment, it was Zepp that spoke in a soft but powerful voice "So there you have it. Zato was revived by the Conclave, and knows the details of this 'Cradle' incident. He has been waiting here, so that he could relay that information to you." Sol turned to Zepp and exclaimed "Do all your men have their heads up their asses, or is it just these ones?"

As the President looked at him with slight shock, Alex was strained to agree with Sol's sentiments _"Zato-1 may not be working with the Conclave…but he'e still the leader of an assassin's guild for crying out loud."_ Nevertheless, with a calm authority, Zepp turned that point against Sol by mentioning "We were, of course, aware of his identity, but decided to let him in anyway. While we're on the subject, however, I think your presence is much more questionable. We only granted an audience to the King and his servants."

Denying authority like the rebel he is, Sol bluntly told Zepp "That's not my problem" thus earning a reprimanding declaration of his name from Ky. Zepp, however, did not seem to care and let Sol go on to demand of Zato "Can you PROVE you're not working for the Conclave?"

With a soothing voice devoid of all base emotions, Zato replied "No, I cannot. Might I point out, however, that we do not know when their plan will be complete. Perhaps your questions for me can wait?"

Zepp mentioned to the group "We have confirmed that the Conclave has been researching the art of resurrection for some time, but we do not know why they chose Zato-1." Ky looked at Sol and politely asked him "Please, Sol, lets hear them out." The man eased his tension for the time being.

Zato nodded his head and continued politely "I would like to avoid confusion, so allow me to be frank. The Conclave controls the Cradle, which they intend to use to conquer the world. And inside of the Cradle…" Only a man who has lost all of life's meaning could say such a grim thing next without a single shift of expression "Is Justice, the God of Destruction."

Sol and Ky noticeably froze up, while Zepp kept his cool and inquired for certainty "You can't possibly mean THAT Justice?" Zato nodded his head and said "Yes, the very same one from the Crusades. Though…you do not seem that surprised. Perhaps I should not elaborate further?"

"No, you do. You can't just tell us Justice is in that thing and then stop!" Zepp demanded with his usual calmness. Yet that façade broke a little as he grit his teeth and asked "Is the Conclave attempting to start another Crusade?!"

Zato rubbed his chin and muttered "An interesting question. Why would the Conclave, who control nearly the entire world, albeit covertly, resort to using Justice for further conquest?" In the distance, Alex grit his teeth and whispered "Because bastards like them just can't have enough power." He was unaware of his 'shadow' rising up from the ground behind him.

Zato answered the very question he posed nonchalantly "The answer is rather simple. For them, they wish to create a world without free thought. To do that, they intend to standardize the entire world." A puzzled Ky lifted his head up and said "They…what?"

"With these plans, society would not be able to advance. And in turn, the Conclave will have restricted human freedom. To accomplish that, they need Justice's incredible power and omnipresence." When he was done, Zato's head twitched and he peered a little to the right, nearly ignoring Ky's flabbergasted remark of "This is absurd. You're talking about creating a dystopia!"

"Before we go any further…" Zepp said, gesturing his hand out from the behind back fold he had as he continued "Wasn't Justice already destroyed?" Zato looked back and nodded his head as he replied "Yes, Justice was destroyed…Or, I supposed you could say, die. Sol Badguy knows that much better than any of us."

Sol silently glared at Zato, yet his tension did not make the man flinch. With no response from their informant, Sol mentioned himself "That's why they needed the art of resurrection. You just happened to be their guinea pig." Zato did not share an ounce of care as he responded "Precisely. The resurrection you are thinking of is perhaps slightly different. The TRUE nature of resurrection is not the recreation of soul and flesh. It is the art of binding a soul to an object."

"As you know, I died several years ago. However, I was not the sole owner of my enchanted body. After my death, Eddie's soul inhabited my flesh. Once the Conclave discovered this, it did not take them long to determine it might be possible to bind a soul to a vessel. I was returned to life to test this theory." When Zato was done, Ky pointed out "And just what happened to the being you called Eddie?"

With a quiet sigh, Zato remarked "He is still with me, but now we are one. Though, on the subject of Eddie…President Zepp, I do believe you made a statement earlier about…questionable presences?" Zepp raised his brows and said "Yes, what about them?"

Suddenly, Alex found himself shoved right into the room by a lizard-like black shadow with grey fangs and hollow red eyes. Zato held his hand out and the shadow named Eddie slunk through his own shadow and became one with the darkness that composed his trench coat. Commenting with slight surprise "Well, I suppose you should've been less lenient with your security then."

Zepp widened his eyes and remarked "Hmph, now just who are you supposed to be?!" Ky held his hand out and said with slight embarrassment "W-Wait! He's not an enemy." Zepp, surprised by the authority such a young King tried to impose on him, held back his aggression to inquire "Is he now? Then what IS he?"

Alex stood up and rubbed his back, muttering in an annoyed tone "Stupid shadow…" He then looked at the group, noting Sol's dumbfounded expression in particular, and commented roughly with eyes focused firmly on Zepp "My name's Alex Whiter. I'm working with Sol and Ky to deal with the Conclave."

Zepp looked at Ky, who gave him a confirming nod. Then the President turned to Alex and inquired "Hrmm…Then why were you sneaking around like some third-rate lout?" Sol replied bluntly "Because he's a dumbass."

Alex replied sarcastically "People can answer for themselves, thank you for the peanut gallery commentary Sol." Then, looking back at Zepp he told him "I wasn't sure if it was ok to be here, but I just needed to get out for a bit. Things were getting a little…cramped in the ship."

Zato commented "If he's an ally, these further exchanges are pointless. Unless you feel you have enough information on the matter of Justice" and Zepp immediately turned his head to reply "Absolutely not. You're telling us that the Conclave plan to bind their soul to Justice's body?"

"Yes, that is correct. That is the reason they hosted the Second Knight of the Holy Order Selection Tournament. To lure out Sol and get him to leave Justice as an empty shell." Sol, again, had no response. Ky shook his head and exclaimed "Impossible!" Zato nevertheless gestured out and remarked "The Conclave means to write a new chapter of human history…one that casts them as its gods."

Zepp admitted to the others "Most everyone in this room is more than familiar with what Justice is capable of, and the threat she poses. What you are suggesting is frighteningly possible." Alex raised his hand up slightly and admitted "Actually, count me as one of the people who know what Justice can do."

Sol grit his teeth and blurted out "How the hell could you POSSIBLY-?!" Then, the room was shaken by an explosion coming from the outside. A red light started blaring in the office as over the intercom someone exclaimed _"Red alert! Damage and fires reported in West D Sector!"_

Alex grit his teeth with a bit of excitement tensing inside of him while thinking _"Finally…something to punch!"_ Meanwhile, Zepp calmly requested a status report. He received a frank answer from his staff _"We appear to be under attack sir, but not from the outside. The enemy is already inside! They appear to be moving through the ship, destroying everything in their path. Th-They've disappeared, sir!"_

With intrigued in his voice, Zepp asked "How many are there? Where are they from?" The soldier replied in disbelief _"They…they're alone! It's a single soldier, sir! Analyzing security footage…we have a hit! The target matches the description of the subject labeled 'Bedman' in our database! H-He's moving towards the residential block! Our weapons have no effect! We can't stop him!"_

As explosions continue to rock the nation, Zepp muttered in a confounded tone "Alone…Who the hell does he think he is?!" Zato turned and said "May we offer our assistance?" but was denied instantly by Zepp saying rather politely "It would be a damn shame if Zepp was forced to ask for a guest's help to capture a single man. Please, enjoy your tea while I deal with this matter."

Zepp raised his hand as Ky asked in a shocked tone "W-What are you going to do?!" With a grin as his hand charged with a powerful energy, Zepp quietly replied "Enjoy the hunt."

 _Next Time: The Power of the Mind_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Does the Sheep Count the Sheep?**

Leaving the safety of his office behind, President Gabriel Zepp took to the streets of his great nation in pursuit of the being known as 'Bedman'. For normal people, they'd be able to take in the sights as they ran. Zepp, however, left everything around him as a blur in his eyes. By leaning forward and kicking his feet against the ground faster than a rotating blender, the man attained speeds greater than most cars could reach. Even so, his arms were still folded behind his back and he took this as a brisk stroll.

As he ran, he spoke to his security forces "Where is the target currently located?" He received a panicked response _"The barracks in Sector C! The special task force is trying to hold him back. The don't stand a chance! How could our elite soldiers be destroyed so easily?!"_

Zepp shut the communicator off and mumbled "Bedman…This must be the child Potemkin mentioned in his report. I have little doubt now that he's working with the Conclave…Is he here hoping to interrupt our meeting with the king? Too little, too late…"

However, the man was not alone. Alex was keeping pace beside him, raising his brows to comment jokingly "Don't know why you're talking to yourself." Zepp's glance stayed forward as he replied with intense curiosity "…Tell me boy, why are you here?"

"I'm just working with Ky to stop the Conclave." Alex replied rather matter-of-factly, but Zepp quickly reprimanded his prior inquiry with a firm "I meant **here**." The boy blinked a couple times and then with a shrug of his arms out mentioned "You DID say 'you would hate to _ask_ for help'."

Zepp grunted a prude "Hmph!" and replied to him "So breaking and entering was not enough for you, now you wish to impede upon a President's hunt?" Alex turned his head forward and said with a grin on his face "Oh come on now, more than one person can go on a hunt. Don't be selfish with the prey."

"Someone should teach you some manners, boy." Zepp remarked with perhaps a twinge of humor in his tone. For a moment, Alex paused in thought and then told him "Well tell you what, I'm feeling generous, so here's a word of advice."

For once, Zepp tilted his head a little towards Alex and let out an inquiring but dully humored "Oh? You wish to advise ME?" The boy gestured his hands out and explained "Bedman's not a foe to be taken lightly. He's already stood his ground with Sol Badguy and defeated Slayer."

Zepp commented with a tinge of surprise "Slayer? Hmph, that old bat must have let himself get rusty." Holding his hand out and charging it with bright orange energy, the President spoke confidently "These hands, which have kept the peace of Zepp itself in the balance, shall not give in to some terrorist."

Alex, with a bit of sweat inexplicitly trickling down the side of his face, said to the man "Yeah yeah, you're pretty strong, but I'm still going to help. The thing is, Bedman…might end up getting stronger." Zepp clenched his fist and left it devoid of energy as he looked at the boy, who cautiously elaborated "Look, if you see a purple aura surrounding Bedman…Be careful. I'd hate for one of the few good Presidents to die."

Zepp raised his head a little and commented "I shall trust you for now. But you should be prepared to undergo community service for your little break in once this matter has been dealt with." With a dry chuckle that weighed on how screwed up his next comment would be, Alex spoke "Yeaaaah…you'll have to wait until I'm not Ky's prisoner anymore."

With a slight glance to the right, Zepp's brows raised without disrupting his skin. The boy shook his head and whispered "I know, I'm a real delinquent ain't I?" He then raised his head up and asked "Now…are we done running around in circles? Bedman's going to get away."

Zepp, with a docile grin, told him "Get away? A cornered cub prefers to stand and fight…Perhaps I shall be able to give you a decent lesson after all, boy." Like a bolt of lightning, Zepp zipped off the edge of the circular chasm and descended towards the lone steel bridge suspended over a bottomless pit. Alex swerved sideways to brake and then leap off after Zepp, saying as he dropped "To quote Sol, 'nice to see there's someone with a head on their shoulders…'"

Around this bridge were a few thick pillars that sent power through the nation of Zepp, and on the other side of the bridge was a door leading deeper into the nation. But those sights were trite distractions in the face of the person standing eerily still in the center of the bridge. Zepp landed straight up and somehow didn't dent the bridge, and a moment later Alex slowed his descent to land beside him. Then they both looked at the nation's assailant, Bedman.

Living up to his name, the young boy wore a dark violet bedroom robe and laid upright on a bendable mechanical bed. He was suspended by large nails in his shoulders, yet his expression was merely a close-eyed smile. His hair was short and ivory with a strange downward arrow on the front, which appeared to point at his large rounded glasses. His bed was outfitted with two extendable arms with spiked wheel shoulders and hands, and a pair of pointed tiny legs that somehow kept that heavy thing standing. Finally, atop the back of his bed frame was a grey mechanical head with hollow red "+" eyes and an olden style regal crown.

There was something perturbing about the way the Bedman stood still, but Zepp merely held the back of his right hand towards them and spoke out "You've made quite a mess of my home! Tell me…Where should I send the invoice for all this damage? The Conclave? Valentine, perhaps?" Bedman did not say a thing, and Zepp raised a hand to his chin and told him in a dry tone "Are you too sleepy to talk, young man?"

Zepp's bones cracked as he pulled his right fist back and exclaimed "That's unfortunate, it's time for you to rise and shine!" Suddenly the man found his wrist latched onto by Alex's firm grip, and he tilted his head to look at the boy while stating bluntly "You have quite a lot of moxie, boy. That strange aura you mentioned has not yet appeared. Your concern is unnecessary."

Alex shook his head and had a tense expression on his face and let go of Zepp. Looking straight at the motionless Bedman, he commented "It doesn't appear right away. Besides…something's not right."

"To be held back by some hot-headed interloper, how the mighty have fallen Gabriel. Honestly for someone like you to even take the time out of their busy, busy schedule to confront me should've been an honor, emphasis on 'should've'." An incredibly fast-talking and condescending voice spoke out to Zepp and Alex, but their foe's mouth did not move. Rather, the voice was being projected into their heads by Bedman, who only Alex knew was standing in the white void of his own mind, likely with an arrogant grin and uncaring posture.

Alex called out in a slightly surprised tone "I can't believe you're acknowledging us. What, want to get your last words in before you die?" Bedman's mental self smiled and said "Now that's humorous, why would a god acknowledge the ants nipping at his heels? No true god should feed the arrogance that's undeserved, unearned, unnecessary."

Alex's expression did not change, and Bedman told him "Oh I'm sorry are my words too much for you? I suppose a bull's mental faculties are very lacking, perhaps you'd better reciprocate to some 'moos'."

Zepp started to step forward and said unflinching "You are sharp with your words, but can you say the same for the way you fight?" Bedman replied with a smirk while crossing his fingers before his neck "You doubt my mettle? Well perhaps you should ask the vampire, though considering his lack of bite perhaps it'd be better to call him a gnawing puppy."

Zepp stamped his feet firmly in the ground and told his foe sincerely "A pity…that man deserves nothing but the utmost respect for his dandyism." Then, without warning, Zepp's fist fired forth as fast as a bullet. Quite fittingly, a bullet-like fist-shaped projectile then rocketed straight towards Bedman. With a static-y distortion, Bedman teleported away just as the fist struck the bridge, sending up a mighty plume of golden fire that shook the very bridge.

In a moment of agape awe of seeing this power demonstrated in person, Alex nearly failed to notice Bedman reappearing behind him and going for an immediate stab at the neck. Turning around just as the sharp tip nicked the right of his neck, Alex grappled his arms around the machine's joints and magnetized his feet to the ground. Then with a firm swerve the boy began to swing Bedman towards Zepp.

"Heads up President!" Alex exclaimed. Zepp turned away from the bridge he left aflame and swung his fist straight at Bedman's chest. With knuckles bearing centimeters from his actual body, Bedman teleported directly behind Zepp and raised his right arm, spinning it around like a saw blade. When he dropped it down upon Zepp, the man threw the back of his hand up without turning and the spikes grinded against his skin without leaving a scar.

When sparks flew out and nothing else, Bedman retracted his arm and slid back before a lightning bolt could smite him. Alex had thrown it from above and quickly dropped down, charging right at Bedman with his sword drawn. Bedman raised the back of his wheel to block the blade as the force of the slash dragged the two through the fire.

Gritting his teeth, Alex swung his other hand out to try and blast Bedman with fire, but the other wheel came up in defense. Instead, Alex dug his fingers into the grooves around the wheel and tried to pull it apart while saying "You know, I'm REAAAAALLY glad you're the one I'm taking my anger out on!"

"Hmhmhm, you are looking for satisfaction is that it? How dull, satisfaction is something you can obtain but never something you can truly permanently contain. Think of it like money, you can have it but eventually you have to get rid of it and then you're just left wanting more." Bedman paused for a nanosecond and continued "Not that I expect you to get the metaphor, when someone says 'penny' you probably think the girl's name."

Alex grit his teeth a little and replied sarcastically "Yeah yeah, good one brainiac." Bedman held his arms out and said "Curious, I don't know whether to register your remarks as stupidity or a defense mechanism. Certainly you could bother to expend those efforts towards protecting your brain instead. Do you not seem to understand that I am a mind reader? Then again there's something peculiar about you interloper, you know me but I don't recall you, personally I despise that."

As Alex pulled the right arm away and got a good look at Bedman's face, he bit his lower lip and for a moment realized he forgot the extent of his foe's powers. Bedman clapped his hands and said "Ah of course, bravo, the anger washed away and you realize just now the extent of your stupidity…Alex Whiter? Yes that's the name I've just plucked out, congratulations, you're now a part of my mind. Unfortunately the body shall not receive such a luxury, so lets dig a little deeper and see what we can use…"

The boy is unable to do anything as Bedman's gaze penetrated the recesses of his mind, digging into the black void within and commenting all the while "Yes yes, Elemental Overlord, powers of the seven elements, Phoenix Form how pretentious…This is all stuff I gleamed from your spat with the Flames of Corruption, come on show me something more. What exactly makes you tick, little sheep?"

Barely a few seconds into Alex's mind, Bedman smirked and commented as a flicker of light came into view "There we go, now this looks rather in-" Then, in a single moment, the hollow visage of a middle-aged man shot forth, his body's outline engulfed in a dark, burning crimson hotter than hellfire. With just a piercing widening of that figure's eyes, Bedman's body in reality shot back and his mental self let out a blood-curling gasp.

His glasses made ajar, Bedman's shaking hand propped them up as he stammered while Alex looked at him in confusion "What manner of unholy hell was that?! Such power, impossible, improbable, indescribable…! Who are you…What are you?! Something like that should be explainable by the logic of the world if it's not than am I supposed to believe you have contained the power of God himself? No, such a power should not be perceivable, I refuse to believe that!"

Then, with the bed frame swinging it's arms out, a purple aura burst forth into existence around Bedman, with the machine's eyes glowing a pale yellow. Alex grit his teeth and swung his sword aside while thinking about the outburst _"Wait, it couldn't be…"_ Pondering on that would have to wait as Bedman's power had increased, with them mentally declaring "For you I will give TEN percent!" while having sweat on their face.

Zepp stormed back into battle by leaping over the fire and declaring "Hmph, a meaningless boast!" Then, with arms folded back, he kicked his legs down and struck the air so hard that friction kicked in and caused his efforts to make a slicing blade of energy down at Bedman. Suddenly, Bedman teleported away from that and got directly in front of Zepp while swinging his left arm out.

Zepp thrust his fist to punch the back of the wheel but then was taken off-guard when the other arm shot up with the speed of a recoiling pistol. Even as he pulled his head back in the nick of time, Zepp's face was cut. With a firm kick, Zepp pushed Bedman away and flew back towards the fires on the bridge. Alex swiped his hand out to blow away the fire with a moist wind and then jumped up to grab Bedman by the back of his frame.

Charging his body full of electricity, Alex spun around and kept holding on to Bedman while ascending further into the air. Bedman remarked "You think your little powers are a match for an intelligent mind? Ha! Laughable!" Then the machine summoned a distorted bomb and threw it towards the ground right before Alex turned them both upside-down and began his descent.

When the bomb touched the bridge, Bedman teleported right out of Alex's grip and landed on the ground. Alex spun around and with the electricity gathering in his hand. Cracking a smirk, the boy thrust his hand down and sent a giant thunderbolt towards his foe. Bedman was struck hard by the attack and his mental self grit his teeth, commenting in slight surprise "D-Damn it! Why am I letting this interloper get the better of me?!"

Alex landed on the ground and dispelled his sword to pull his fist back, replying in a quick and arrogant tone mockingly similar to Bedman's "You shouldn't have spent so much time trying to tear me down, I'd say that was futile, foolish, a flop. Perhaps you'd have been better off using that time to maybe, hmmm, get good?"

"Don't mock me as though you have a leg to stand on, you're still just a cog in the machine. Once I figure out where to place you then everything will continue on the way it should. Your interference is just a minor distraction, nothing more, nothing less." Bedman's response got Alex to roll his eyes before he charged forth and said "If you're going to keep that mouth flapping then enjoy chewing on this spicy knuckle sandwich!"

With his fist on fire, Alex was suddenly joined by Zepp in going for a straightforward punch on Bedman. The boy swung his mechanical arms up for defense, but when those punches connected not even the great defense of his frame could stand against their power. The wheels cracked at the center and the joints broke apart a bit too.

Bedman widened his eyes and remarked "I-Impossible! This 8th generation reinforced high-density bed frame shouldn't be bending to mere physical force?!" Zepp pulled back his fist and wiggled the fingers around, looking up and revealing the tiny cut under the right side of his mustache "How delicate…If you truly defeated Slayer, I can only imagine it was through cowardice."

"Damn you Gabriel!" Bedman's declaration was followed by him being spoken to by a gentle, feminine voice "Bedman…You've done enough, retreat."

Bedman's mental self grit his teeth, his body trembling a little outside as he looked at Alex, and he suddenly blurted out "With all due respect, no. Letting this anomaly preside in his current state will only backfire on us tremendously. I am not concerned with the President, I shall eliminate this interloper swiftly."

Zepp raised his brows a little and then swung his arm out towards Alex, telling him gently "Allow me to handle this. If this child thinks I am one to be brushed aside…I shall give him a rude awakening." Stamping a foot on the ground, Zepp thrust both his fists out from the chest and a twisting spiral made up of two fist bullets shot right out, only for Bedman to teleport over to one of the pillars.

Bedman leaped from the pillar and prepared to drop all his weight atop of Alex. Zepp, however, charged from the bridge like a bullet and crossed his arms to strike Bedman in the neck, pinning him back against the pillar. "Gck…!" Bedman grunted and then swiftly teleported away to another pillar. Zepp spun so his feet stuck to the side of the pillar and then leaped out after his foe.

A series of teleportations and high-speed dashes occurred between Zepp and Bedman, with the occasional blow thrown between them. Alex stayed on the bridge and kept up with it all, commenting with a slight chuckle "Wow…Even against a powered-up foe, Zepp's just too strong." the boy then widened his eyes and proclaimed out to the man "Hey Zepp, try and get Bedman back to the bridge!"

Bedman remarked upon hearing that "He really is a fool isn't he? Now I will simply avoid the ground and his traps will not impede me." Zepp, however, smirked and leaped off the pillar out of the way of Bedman's attack, landing on the bridge. With Alex having his arms raised, he looked at the calm Zepp and said "Oh hey you picked up on that. Guess that's why they used to call you General."

Then, with Bedman perplexed, Alex swung his arms right down and churned a powerful downward draft that began to drag Bedman down towards the chasm. Zepp gripped his fists tightly and said "Now…it is time to put an end to this. I had thought fit to use my ultimate attack on you, Bedman, but instead I shall use something a little stronger…"

To escape the winds, Bedman teleported back onto the bridge, but he could not escape the pain that would soon be inflicted upon him. With his back to his foe, Zepp hunched over and his body surged with a furious energy. "An attack powerful enough to wipe out any living thing within eight meters…concentrated upon a single foe. This is my… **AGNI!** _ **XII!**_ "

Alex watched as the energy was about to be unleashed upon Bedman, but then widened his eyes and realized "Wait, that means me!" He then flew high enough to avoid what was coming next. Erupting from Zepp's body were hundreds of fist bullets, all of which flew skyward for just a brief moment. Then, helpless to escape, all those fists rained down and smashed into Bedman's body from all directions. It was the most unholy of massacres, with not even Bedman's surprised cries of pain able to be heard.

For fifteen seconds, this attack continued on while Alex could only imagine how much pain HE'D be in if he had to face this head-on. When Zepp decided he had enough, his energy stopped instantly and he turned around and immediately broke into a stroll towards Bedman. The purple aura was gone, and his bed frame had gained a few more cracks. Zepp raised his brows and said "So you're still alive? Well then, maybe you can answer some questions…" The man picked Bedman up by the chest and hauled all that weight over his shoulder like he was light as a pillow.

Alex landed behind Zepp, who commented on his presence quietly "And that's the end of that." The boy nodded his head and said honestly "If only you weren't busy being a President…"

"I cannot solve all these other nations' problems. You are lucky Bedman was foolish enough to attack MY nation." Zepp firmly turned around and then extended his free hand out. As Alex approached he gave a couple puzzled blinks. It was only when Zepp commented "The people of Zepp thank you for your help regardless" that the boy understood what this meant.

With his heart skipping a beat, Alex pointed at himself and commented "Y-You're pulling my leg. A president wants to shake my hand?" When Zepp gave an unamused glance, the boy smiled and quickly extended his hand out to shake it. Zepp's firm grip made Alex's hand feel a little sore afterwards.

Zepp then inquired "Before I return…Did I not hear that right? Did you say that you joined the fight to relieve some anger?" Alex closed his eyes and thought _"Oh great, he's going to give a lecture now."_

Turning around, the scuffling of Zepp's shoes against the ground got Alex to widen his eyes in surprise. The man simply said "You have technique but lack control. Work on your emotions, and perhaps I shall spar with you someday." He then bent down, giving a brief glance back to say "Tell the King that he is welcome to use the communication line. Farewell, Alex Whiter."

With a rocketing leap, the man shot out of the chasm and vanished from sight. Alex rubbed the back of his head and commented "Why can't more leaders be that kick-ass?" Afterwards he shrugged his shoulders and decided to make his way back to Ky and Sol. It was a short flight, and when he entered the office he found Ky sitting on a chair with a hand on his chin and Sol leaning against a wall. Zato had disappeared.

Ky looked at Alex and said in a hesitant tone "You're back. What happened to the President?" The boy gestured his hands out and mentioned "He's busy performing the most poin-" With a pause, Alex shook his head and decided on sounding a little more respectful "Errr, he has Bedman in custody for interrogations."

"That old fart beat him? You expect me to believe that?" Sol commented while pulling away from the wall. Alex swung his hand out and said with a proud smile "Well, **I** was there too." Only for the man to grumpily say "Then I believe it even less."

With a shift to a small frown, Alex shook his head a little before pulling a Bedman on Sol and telling him "Are you just talking like that cause you're stupid or is that a defense mechanism?" The man widened his eyes a little and with a grumpy grunt turned away. Alex then looked at a sighing Ky to tell him "Anyways, Zepp said you could use the communications system. Luckily Bedman didn't break them."

Ky got up from the chair and said "I will get on that immediately. Before that though…Mind explaining why you were spying on our meeting?" Sol joined in with his own comment "Not only that, you left your fellow dumbasses alone on the ship. They're probably tearing it up with their party as we speak!"

"P-Party?!" Ky and Alex stuttered in differing tones of surprise. The more aware sounding Alex received Ky's stare immediately, forcing him to answer "It was Shina's birthday party ok. Don't worry, we kept it in the interrogation room, and nobody is harmed or drunk."

Sol grit his teeth and looked like veins were popping out of his forehead. After a few seconds, he started heading for the door while saying "Well now **I** need a goddamn drink. Zepp better have some good shit in their bars."

When he was gone, Alex looked at Ky and the man shook his head a little, unable to explain that attitude. The boy told him "Well, whatever, I'm going for a walk. Not every day you get to explore a floating continent. Hopefully we'll have something to go on with the Conclave soon…" Then he was gone, and Ky was able to get in contact with his ally in Illyria not long after.

Hours passed until it was nighttime again, and in the interrogation room Ramlethal sat by herself petting the magehound as moonlight basked in on her quiet figure. The room had been cleaned of the party, but that still weighed heavily on her mind. Soon though, her peace would be disturbed as she'd find the room around her distorting until her body was carried away into a white void. There, she was greeted by Bedman nearby, who leaned back against empty air and said "Hello Ramlethal…We need to talk."

 _Next Time: I Am Human_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Ride on Time**

It was rather quiet on Ky's ship as night fell upon the land. At the moment, only Sin, Shina, Elphelt and Ramlethal inhabited the vessel with the others still spending their time in Zepp. The party had finally died down and everything had been cleaned up so spic and span that not even a sauce stain remained.

With nothing to do, Sin wandered throughout the ship while his arms were folded behind his head. "Ky and the old man sure are taking their sweet time. Hope that alarm I heard earlier wasn't from an enemy attack…" Exiting out the hall, he found his head turning right when a hint of blonde hair entered his sight.

Shina was lying sloppily on the couch, a couple soda bodies atop her stomach while an arm and leg limped diagonally off the cushions. With the back of her hand laying atop her forehead, she let out a sigh and her cheeks appeared reddish. Sin laid his arms down beside his hips and gestured a hand out, asking her with nonchalant concern "Hey, is everything alright there?"

When Shina didn't reply, Sin walked over and pushed the table out of the way so he could have room to kneel. He then began to poke at Shina's cheek a couple times, saying with a gentle giggle "Haha, you must've partied too hard."

With a groan Shina pulled her hand up partway and peeked out at Sin, a noticeable glaze resting near her tear ducts. "Mmmmrrr…Sin?" In a tired slur, Shina slowly lifted her body upright and the bottles fell off her body. Sin caught them both with two quick flicks of his hand out and held them between his fingers, looking at their labels closely.

Widening his eyes with a semi-worried grimace, Sin remarked "Uh oh, this stuff's got some light liquor in it. Just how did you get a hold of this, Shina?" Shina limply leaned the back of her head against the top of the couch and held an arm out while mentioning in a drowsy voice "I-It was in the kitchen. K-Ky needs bigger labels on his bo-bo-bot-HIC!"

With a fizzy burp, Shina lurched forward and planted her fingers on her lips as her cheeks puffed out. Sin closed his eyes and said "No shit…" before tossing the bottles over his shoulder and into the nearby trash bin. He then stood up and asked as Shina giggled and put on a grin "Are you feeling alright? …How many fingers am I holding up?"

Sin didn't do anything and Shina swiftly replied "None, Sin. I-it's alright ok, I'm fine…" The boy shook his head and told her "Aww come on now, don't say that. You look terrible." Shina shook her head and laid straight back against the couch, then rubbed the side of her forehead.

"N-Not my best moment, is it? Honestly didn't know what I was getting into…" With her head having the occasional spurt of pain, Shina winced and grit her teeth. Sin quickly sat down on the couch beside her and asked "How long have you been out by here yourself?"

Shina murmured a "Huh?" and Sin said "I'm talking about Alex. Didn't he know you were here?" With a swipe of her hand down Shina spoke out in disdain "Bah-ah! To heckity-heck with him…"

"Uh-oh, sounds like you two had an argument." Sin said in a somewhat teasing tone, Shina frowned in an exaggerated manner before telling the boy off "Hardly. I WISH we had one of those. Least then he would've said something…"

Sin blinked a couple times and slowly opened his mouth, unable to come up with any words before Shina turned her head and said "I-I'm sorry Sin, ya shouldn't have to listen to me blabber like a drunken loon…"

"Hey, I'm not going to tell you to stop." Sin said, not even intending for that to come off as kind as it did. Shina cracked a little smile and with a giggle turned her head forward. She then told Sin in a humored tone "Gotta say, I don't like the taste of liquor."

"That's a bright way to look at it! Thanks to that hiccup, you've been dissuaded from becoming a grumpy ol' drunk!" Sin smiled and swung his arms out, and his energetic way of saying that just got Shina laughing a lot more heartily.

Shaking her head a couple times, Shina murmured jokingly "Honestly don't get why mom likes the stuff." But a lack of understanding got Sin asking seriously "Your mom drinks?"

Shina nodded her head and told him "I've caught her a couple times. She tells me it doesn't affect her, and considering she's never told me about headaches and wooziness…I guess I oughta believe her now…" Sin rubbed his chin and said "If nothing else you're recovering fast."

With a curious, mischievous grin, Sin suddenly snapped his fingers out and exclaimed "What's two plus-" Shina then jerked up and with a sudden turn to the left swung her arm out and slapped Sin across the face. The boy would remember the feeling of his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets as his head flew into the back of the couch and rebounded off, ending with his whole body landing back first on the ground.

Shina immediately held her hands close to her chest and gasped "Oh goodness I'm so sorry Sin!" Sin quickly kicked back onto his feet and rubbed his reddened cheek, telling her with a playful grin "It's alright. That…stung a little more than I thought it would, but it's alright!"

He sat back down beside Shina as she told him a little too honestly "T-Thanks for listening Sin, you're a goooooood kid…" She pat him on the head a couple times with a motherly smile on her face. Sin pulled back and told her "O-Ok, that's a little embarrassing…"

Shina opened her eyes and they were glazed over a little, and after she let out a droll hum befitting her smile she leaned back against the arm of the couch. Opening her mouth and letting out a long sigh, Shina suddenly inquired "Hey Siiiin…what's your mother like?"

"Uhhh, that came out of nowhere, but sure! I'd kind of like to know more about yours" Sin politely asked after a moment of surprise, but Shina shook her head and replied "S-Sorry, gimme a few more seconds to recover first."

Sin leaned back and put his arms behind his head, looking around the room as he mustered up what he wanted to say "Where do I begin…Oh yeah, her name! My mom's name is Dizzy. You already know she's a full Gear, yeah? Funny story about that…Old man once told me that Gears age differently than humans, which is why he's not growing grey hairs out the wazoo and how come me and mom look like young adults even though we're not even ten years old."

"Oh yeah?" Shina said in an intrigued slur. Sin grinned before continuing "So my mom gave birth to me when she was…three? Not that you'd be able to tell that by looking at her." Shina asked him kindly "How so?"

Sin flinched and lifted his head up before replying "Honestly, I don't know where to start. Well, she had long blue hair and always dressed in nice black and white dresses. Her skin was as smooth and warm as a blanket, and whenever she smiled it was the greatest feeling ever. Not even having a five-star feast could compare. She's so mature and kind, it's no wonder Ky fell for her."

With a heavy sigh, Sin looked down a bit and said "Hehe, I can't really stop thinking about her these days. It's kinda hard to when-" "They're the most important person in your life?" Shina finished, much to the boy's surprise. Sin lifted his head up and said "Yeah, sounds about right."

He then told her "I forgot how long it was since Ky sealed her away for her safety, but I know she'll be freed soon. A Gear named Dr. Paradigm's working in secret within Illyria Castle to break mom out. The first thing I'm going to do once she's out is give her a hug and tell her about all the crazy adventures me and the old man have been up to."

Sin then licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, saying in bliss "Then, hoooo boy…We're going to have a feast together! I'm not that good of a cook, but I bet I can whip something wonderful up if it's for mom!"

Shina grinned and tilted her head to say "Like I said, you're a good kid Sin. Though you really should get used to not swearing before you accidentally drop an F-Bomb around your mom." Sin widened his eyes and replied "Ah shiiii-itake, shitake! That'd be embarrassing!"

There was a pause before Sin went on to ask "Soooo…what about your mom?" Shina glanced aside and laid a finger against her cheek, rubbing it gently as she said "Well, my mom's name is Auris, she's an Aurian Sage and pretty much the second strongest person in our city."

With a blush blooming in her cheeks, Shina gave a wiggling smile and continued nervously "I-It's hard to admit this, but she's really, really pretty. Her hair shimmers like a minty aurora borealis. One second she can be looking at me and my sister with warm, motherly eyes and the next she could be lustily ogling some poor piece of man meat like she's starving for a bite. She's got a pretty nice figure, and the men back home are pretty big fans, to say the least. But to me, that's just more of her to hug."

Clinging her hands on top of her knees, Shina said "I-I kinda wish I was half as beautiful as she is." Sin haphazardly mentioned "You look pretty to me" and Shina squeaked a little before gripping her pants tighter.

With her heart in a flutter and her gaze going all over the place, Shina continued "W-Well that's not…Uhhh…A-Anyways!" Shaking her head, she concentrated on the subject by saying "Sin, I have to admit, you kinda struck a cord when you mentioned hugging your mom."

Her smile turning to a vulnerable frown, she told him while turning her head to hide the expression behind her hair "That's something I really miss these days. Just a simple hug…" Sin asked her right away "Well don't get yourself down about this. Once we get those Conclave cowards out in the open you'll be able to get that artifact thingy, right?"

"Sure, but we still probably have a couple more to grab. And who knows how long it'd take to even make it ba-"

Sin bluntly let out his frustrations "You're worrying WAAAAY too much about this. You stress too much and that's when you'll really screw up." Shina widened her eyes, and Sin held his arms out before continuing his point "Want my honest opinion? You need to be a little more aggressive."

"W-What do you mean?"

"From what I can tell you hold a lot in. Kind of like how a balloon contains hot air, I guess? You keep this up and you're going to burst." Sin's honesty got Shina muttering "I-I don't want to be rude."

"Rude? Who said anything about being rude? Just be more upfront about your feelings." Sin explained after momentary confusion. Shina shook her head with a heavy weight of uncertainty on her mind, and Sin told her "I think you'd like it. Just give it a shot sometime."

He then got up and extended his hand out to a contemplating Shina before suggesting "I can take you back if you want." Shina shook her head and slowly stood up, her legs wobbling a little until she was fully erect. Then she cracked a grin and mentioned "I'd kinda like to check up on Ramlethal before I sleep. Is that alright?"

"Ky's not back, so no one can really stop us." Sin mentioned nonchalantly. Grinning at the idea, he made his way to the hall with Shina in tow behind him. Along the way, Shina thought doubtfully _"Be more…aggressive? Can I really…?"_

Upon entering the room, they found Ramlethal sitting by her lonesome, the mage hound on her lap. Her head was hung and she had an almost somber air around her person. She lifted her head an inch and Sin rubbed the back of his head while apologizing "Oh, you were sleeping…Sorry about that."

Lifting her head up even more, Ramlethal inquired quietly but a bit of desperation could be heard "…Sin, Shina…Why do you keep coming here?" Sin responded "Like I said, I'm here to make you lau-"

"Stop."

Ramlethal closed her eyes a little and continued "What is the point? There is no benefit to your plan…" Sin shook his head and told her "Not looking for benefits. It is what it is. I just want to see you laugh."

Shina nodded her head and added "When you laugh, you'll understand why we're putting in so much work." Ramlethal replied "Preposterous. A tool only has value when it carries out the assigned tasks. I am incapable of understanding these 'feelings' that drive you to take apparently meaningless actions. If they benefit no one, why do them?"

The Valentine looked to Sin for answers, and he was at a loss for words "That's a pretty deep question you're asking. I mean…how can I explain my actions?" Ramlethal turned her head and said in a melancholic tone "I need to know what the right thing to do is. If I don't know that, then I can't take the correct action, and taking an incorrect action is pointless."

Sin leaned close to Ramlethal and asked "Ah come on, what does it mean to be 'right' in the first place? Let's say Ky and the old man think something tastes bad, but I like it. Does that make me wrong? In a way everybody's right, see? They're right that it tastes bad, and I'm right that it tastes good."

"I do not understand your example." Ramlethal replied. Sin stood up and rubbed his head again while murmuring "Arg…how do I say this…" Shina looked at him and asked "Want me to give a whack at it?"

Sin clapped his hands and answered "Thanks for the offer, but I got an idea!" He pointed at Ramlethal and inquired "What do you think about God?" The Valentine, puzzled in her expression, went on to say "God…? I acknowledge that the concept exists, and people find value in it, but without further evidence I can't authoritatively state whether or not-"

Sin's patience reaches a breaking point as he suddenly exclaimed "No, I'm asking how YOU feel about it!" Shina commented while having a finger below her lips "That might've been too complex a subject."

"Alright, how about this? Remember when you ate that hamburger? You had an opinion on it, YOUR opinion. Like that…" Ramlethal listened to that and appeared to be struggling in her thoughts, culminating in a stutter of "I…I don't know…"

Sin groaned "Ugh, you're impossible! Ok, I got another idea. Take a look outside." Ramlethal raised her brows and got off the chair, gently placing the mage hound where she was and going over to the window with Sin and Shina. What awaited them was a rare sight indeed. The usually black expanse of space was filled with a flurry of stars so thick it was like a thin blanket of snow, while the skies were covered by translucent bright sapphire and ivory clouds. It was as if the gods of the cosmos had, for this one night, chosen to give their blessings of beauty to this world.

As Ramlethal looked out to this scenery, her eyes were left in a bewildered awe she could not fathom. Sin stood abreast and pressed for her opinion "What do you feel now?" Ramlethal laid a hand on her chest and explained "I-I don't know…"

"I think you do, you just can't come up with the words to describe it. See, I think it's suuuuuuuuuper pretty. To me, that's enough. The way I feel, the way this looks…I don't want somebody trying to explain that to me with big words or fancy ideas. I just like the explanation 'This sky looks beautiful because God made it that way.' So to me, that would be a good reason for God to exist. Do YOU think that's the right answer?"

Sin looked at Ramlethal, who replied "That's just what you WANT. It doesn't make anything real." Sin grinned and told her "Maybe, but I don't think everything needs to be black and white. You don't need to shove yourself into a corner and tell yourself you have to be something."

"Y-You're wrong…if I don't I…won't be a good tool…" Ramlethal's façade of stoicism was starting to crack, and Sin told her honestly "But Ramlethal, you're not a tool." The Valentine went dead silent, her heart pounding slowly against her chest.

Meanwhile, Shina looked to the stars with both hands crossed in front of her mouth, some tears forming in the sides of her eyes. Staring out reminded her of nights she spent with her sister, and of one particular night where they made a promise to one day visit the Earth. Her strained utterance of "I-I've already been to two Earths…Then that means I-" was suddenly silenced by a deathly yelp from behind.

Everyone turned around and find the mage hound crushed and writhing in pain on the ground, dropped from the mechanical hands of the man named Bedman. The dog was slowly disintegrating from the world in a haze of purple smoke, and the sight of this left Sin enraged "Y-You bastard! How did you get in here?!"

Looking down on the dying dog, Ramlethal eyes shrank and every limb of hers felt stiff. For a moment, her heart stopped, and her very life was left fleeting from her body. When Shina looked at Bedman, she stuttered out in surprise "H-How did you hide your aura?!"

Though she drew her rapier to join in Sin's defense, Shina found a hand resting on her shoulder and looked back to find Ramlethal shaking her head. "No, Bedman is only here for me. I asked if I could take the dog with me, that's why he killed it. He won't hurt you." Sin looked back and exclaimed "What are you talking about?! Stay back!"

Bedman's head raised and suddenly the world around the four dissolved as they were taken away into the white void that the man is able to act in with more freedom. As such, his bed frame disappears and he stands on both feet in front of a confused Sin.

Sin gripped his flag tightly and expected a fight, but the first thing that came from Bedman was not resistance but a sincere apology "I'm sorry about the dog, but…I thought this would be the easiest way for her to understand. I see you're beginning to develop emotions, so I'm going to teach you the meaning of 'replacement'."

Ramlethal raised her head and muttered a confused "What?" Then Bedman held his arms out as reality encroached this dream realm partially, with him creating a sphere of pure bright light while telling the Valentine "There are 682 known dogs, or Canis lupus familiaris breeds, and in Illyria alone there are over 31 million dogs."

Lowering his arm, Bedman had the sphere transform into another magehound. It looked exactly the same as the previous one, and Shina could confirm that even the aura was replicated perfectly. Saying "We could create a magehound exactly like this one. It is, in other words, replaceable" was meant to come across as kind in Bedman's mind.

However, as the new dog approached Ramlethal, she hesitantly held her right pointer finger out and waited. The dog tilted it's head and sat down comfortably. It was painful for Shina to watch as Ramlethal's eyes started watering and she muttered "No…It's not the same."

Her confusion turned to a desperation for answers as she then spoke "Why…? It's the same dog, but…something's different!" Bedman answered her bluntly "Exactly. This is a replacement. You liked the last dog but not this one. You see…?"

"Everything is…unique…?" Ramlethal's body quivered and her limbs retracted into her body. Vulnerable as a newborn, the Valentine's tear drops began to trickle out as she almost begged to know "Am…am I unique too…?"

Sin concernedly ran over to Ramlethal for comfort, while Shina turned to Bedman and asked "Why…why are you doing this?" The boy lifted his head up and responded "That should be the question I'd ask you, were you not bothering me at such an inopportune moment."

Bedman clapped his hands a couple times and Sin and Ramlethal were taken out of the dream realm. Left alone with Shina, he quickly told her "I simply fail to understand how you and that boy are our enemies. You appear out of nowhere and immediately decide to work with the puppet King and his mad dog. Your grasp of knowledge of this world is illogical and a riddle I cannot solve which in turn is ALSO illogical."

"Why don't you just read our minds to find out?" Shina dared with a bit of confusion in her voice. Bedman shook his head and explained "Out of the question, I refuse to peer into the heads of outsiders after that _thing_ I saw."

"…From Alex?" Shina's perked interest shockingly did not get an answer in return from Bedman, who hastily changed the subject back "Regardless, answer me one thing. You wish to collect these artifact pieces, that is what I'm understanding from the observations we've had on your confrontation with the Flames of Corruption, yes?"

Shina slowly nodded her head, and the boy followed up on that "By all means, the path of least resistance would be to willingly work with the ones in possession of what you want, AKA the Conclave. Why do you insist on taking the hard fought road?"

The girl dispelled her rapier and placed her arms behind her back, answering with a slight smile on her face "Simple, you're the bad guys. You're standing against the peace of this world, and it's up to us to stop you."

Bedman caressed his forehead and muttered "Great, so you're one of those idealistic fools. Ok, let me spell it out differently for you then, perhaps in a manner YOU'D understand." He held his hands out and with his powers created two objects. One was a pickle, the other was a pickle in a jar that looks like it'd be hard to reach into. Shina gave him an odd look and he mentioned "Just work with me ok, I'd rather not waste more time than I already have tonight."

He closed his eyes and said "Say you are hungry for a pickle and don't really have a preference for whether it's dry or soaked. Logically, it'd make more sense to go for the one outside of the jar, yet as much as humans would hate to admit it we do not function purely on logic. In this scenario, the pickle in the jar would be more enticing to the average person simple because it's a challenge. Humans strive to challenge themselves, to evolve and become better than the person they were before."

"Now lets use this haphazardly thrown together metaphor in relation to our current argument. You claim to want to get the artifact piece and yet are spending time on the more tedious option to get it. Clearly this stone of yours is of a higher priority than 'saving the world' so if you're so adamant on succeeding then your path should be that of 'logic' not 'challenge'. Perhaps, deep down, you enjoy the thrill."

Shina blinked a couple times and said after a giggle "You have a hard time working this out when you can't read someone's mind, huh?" Bedman gave her a dull glance and then dispelled his props, commenting in a somewhat flustered manner "It is rather irritating, yes, but so long as I adhere to basic thought and reasoning I need not worry about your little attempts to deny the truth."

"How about you just read my mind and you'll get the answer faster. I'll even put it up front so it'll be easier. No tricks, I pinky swear on it." Shina even held up the pinky prim and proper. Bedman looked at the girl for a few seconds before leaning a fist against the side of his head and deciding "Fine, I don't care. You may believe this'll change anything, but-"

Bedman peered into Shina's mind for only a second, but that's all he needed to see. His eyes widened as he mentioned what he saw "Y-You're fighting to save your little sister?" Shina nodded her head as Bedman reeled back and said "D-Damn it, what the hell kind of a day is this?!"

Shina held her hand out and explained "I-I'm sorry to say this Bedman, but I know about Delilah." Bedman widened his eyes and stammered "How…? Don't you dare mention her name in front of me!"

Shaking her head, the girl told him "I'm not saying it to be rude. I just understand…We're both fighting for a loved one, but I'm not going to throw away my morals just to get that done faster. The Conclave are threatening this world, and we're going to stop them AND get the artifact piece."

Bedman grit his teeth a little and then suddenly stopped, closing his eyes before stating "Fine, so that is your stance? Then we're two sides of the same coin you and I. Unfortunately, it is our plan that shall come to fruition, regardless of how many outside elements choose to interfere. You, that boy, that artifact, I have taken all into consideration and shall adjust the plans accordingly. Remember this well, Shina Aurora, I am a logical man but I daresay my greatest strengths come out when I'm faced with a challenge. Until we meet again, farewell…"

The man disappeared rather quickly from sight, as did his dream realm. His bed frame was no longer in the interrogation room, as though he was a phantasm. Shina clenched a hand against her chest and said "Why was that so easy…" She then looked back at Sin as he was comforting Ramlethal, deciding that now wasn't the time to bother him about her personal questions. The night would only get better from there on out…

The next day, back in President Zepp's office, Sol and Ky had once again found themselves there. Alex entered the room shaking his arms around and commenting nonchalantly "Morning. Any progress made on the Conclave situation?" Ky looked back with a dumbfounded look in his eyes while holding a relatively normal looking phone out.

"We've finally made some progress on how to attack the Cradle. I'd like to take the time to explain that but…" Ky hesitantly ended his sentence off, only for Sol to bluntly finish it for him "The smart-mouth lizard said he wanted to talk to you."

Alex glared at Sol for a bit before replacing the insulting nickname with a more respectful mutter of "Dr. Paradigm? Why would…" He quickly looked at Ky before approaching him and asking "Wait, did he mention me by name?"

"As a matter of fact…he did." Ky looked far too surprised when giving that response, and as Alex felt a hint of paranoia crawling up his back he paused to say "You didn't give him my name, did you?"

"…Please do not suspect Paradigm of anything. I trust him with more than just my life." Ky quietly pleaded as he passed the phone off to Alex. The boy slowly held it up to his ear and that feeling of paranoia would not leave. It was a weight that slowed down the flow of time for him until he mustered the courage to say "Is this Dr. Paradigm?"

" _Ah, so you already know my name. Then we can forgo the introductions and get right down to the meat of the matter. First though, have Frederick and the King left the room?"_ A polite and scholarly voice spoke out to Alex from the other end, and with quick obedience Alex turned his head and saw that the two had already departed. It was surprising to see Sol leave so willingly, but he did glare back for a moment with suspicions clear as day.

When Alex answered appropriately, the Gear on the other line said _"Excellent. I wish not to hide the truth in such a prude manner, but I fear that you may accidentally let slip what I'm about to tell you. And Frederick…well…I do not expect Frederick to react appropriately."_

"Can you tell me how you know my name, before we continue?" Alex bluntly asked. Paradigm replied after a static-y sigh _"I was afraid you would ask that. Unfortunately, I am not the one who should be answering that question. I am told you are capable of flight, correct?"_

"…Yes." When Alex responded, he could not have possibly braced himself enough for what was said next _"Come to Illyria Castle. The Gear Maker…or perhaps as Frederick has referred to him as 'That Man'…He has requested a meeting with you, Alex Whiter."_

The phone dropped out of Alex's hand and hit the floor hard. With fists gripped as tightly as his gritted teeth, he found himself trembling a bit from pent up frustration as he thought _"The artifact piece in the hands of the Conclave…That Man having knowledge of who I am…W-What the hell is going on here?!"_

 _Next Time: The World's Enemy_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: That Man I: The Midnight Carnival**

Only telling Ky and Sol where he was going, Alex flew away from Zepp and headed to the nation of Illyria. Ky had vowed to call ahead so the guards would let him in, but from the way he spoke Alex knew the King had his reservations with what Paradigm mentioned. Sol didn't even say a word, and had a scowl on his face. It was far more intense than his usual ones.

"Did Sol suspect something? Knowing how paranoid he's been lately…" Alex shook his head and looked down as a large castle came into view. At the moment, he didn't bother dilly-dallying with the place's details. With a swift descent, he landed before two guards that wore an armor he was accustomed to seeing from Ky's ship. As expected, they raised their spears to the boy and one asked "Halt! State your purpose!"

The boy raised his hands with a mischievous smile and replied "Didn't you guys get your orders from Ky? You're supposed to let me through." The guards looked at each other for a moment before turning to Alex and saying "So you're Alex Whiter?"

Rolling his eyes, Alex let out a sarcastic "No, I'm Sol Badguy" and one of the guards said "Our King warned us of your sharp tongue. Very well, you may pass." The guards dropped their spears while Alex gave them a brow-raised glare. He then closed his eyes and inquired "So how do I reach the library?"

"Right of the stairs, end of the hall. It shouldn't take you long." The guard replied swiftly and dutifully, and as Alex passed them he flicked a couple fingers their way and said "Keep up the good work fellas." When the boy was out of earshot, one of the guards whispered "The King really prefers the company of weirdos…"

" _The Gear Maker…Or perhaps as Frederick has referred to him as 'That Man'…He has requested a meeting with you, Alex Whiter."_

That lingered on Alex's mind as he entered the castle and folded his arms together, hanging his head down to look at the red carpet floors while following the guards' directions. With a perturbed grumble, the boy wiggled his scowl and then tightly grit his teeth. _"How…How did he find out about me? Was he watching my fight with Sol? He still wouldn't know me by name…"_ Entering the darkened hallway, Alex lifted his head up and rubbed the back of it. This frustration just would not leave his mind, and he found himself incapable of thinking of anything that wouldn't cause it.

Looking ahead, Alex murmured "I'll have to handle this myself, whatever it is. If my suspicions are right, then perhaps…" After a short trot down the hall, he saw someone waiting for him midway.

He had the face of a dragon with long pointed ears and a couple small antennae. His lips were jagged like his fangs and his eyes were red with small black pupils. He wore a small black suit with white undercoat and red tie, with a small professor's hat atop his head. If that wasn't enough, the glasses on his snout, the rugged silk white beard and the book he carried around completed his knowledgeable demeanor. Bizarrely, his feet are like that of a chicken's and he wasn't even four feet tall.

Levitating loftily off the ground, this being looked up at Alex and seemed to observe his entire being in a matter of seconds. Taking a claw to nudge his glasses, the lizard-bird hybrid commented in a refined manner "You are Alex Whiter, yes?" The boy replied nonchalantly "And you're Paradigm…So?"

"Forgive my presumptions, I expected you to look a little…" Paradigm's hesitation gave enough of an opening for Alex to remark jokingly "Taller?" The Gear amended that with a gesture "More mystical, to be precise."

"Sorry, the Elemental Overlord succession plan doesn't come complete with a new outfit." Alex grinned, thinking his snappy remark was clever. Paradigm just brushed his beard a little and took on his natural tone "Regardless, allow me to invite you to my quarters."

As Paradigm turned around, Alex gave him a blank glare for a little and muttered "Humorless lizard…" before following him deeper into the castle. The door they were looking for was only a hundred feet away, and after opening it Paradigm glanced back and said "I had wished to learn a little more of your powers, but time is of the essence. I must take part in the council for determining the attack on the Cradle."

"I thought I was meeting That Man?" Alex inquired and Paradigm floated over to him, raising his head to whisper in his ear "There is a portal hidden within the library. We want to keep the Gear Maker as a trump card against the Cradle, so the portal's only designed to activate in your presence."

Paradigm lowered his head and wiggled his glasses back into place, telling the boy quietly "Oh and…give my regards and apologies to Frederick the next time you see him." He then floated down the hall as Alex entered his room. The boy closed the door and looked around. There were shelves upon shelves filled with books, and there wasn't even enough room so some of the books were kept in neatly organized stacks on the ground.

Looking around, the boy was overcome by a flash of white light and saw a small portal opening before the wall on the right. As he set his eyes upon it, his heart beat at a heavy pace and his arms started feeling a little tense. Curling his hands into fists relieved the feeling just a little, and after taking in a deep breath he walked towards the portal.

Upon going through, he found the aesthetics of the realm he entered no different from the portal itself. There was nothing but white as far as the eye can see, and there was no sense of physicality or scale anywhere. For a second, Alex had to readjust himself, making sure he wasn't instinctively floating amongst nothingness. When he had established footing on solid ground, the boy held his breath and concentrated on the air. There were no toxins, and he could safely breathe.

"This isn't a trap…" Alex murmured, his realization serving to give him only a greater sense of confusion as he began to advance. It didn't take long for the shadows of three figures to come into view, and even those shadows cleared swifter than the boy expected. The people ahead seemed to have noticed him too, as one of them, with a calm and light British accent, welcomed his presence as such "Greetings, Alex Whiter. Or would you rather I refer to you by your title of Elemental Overlord?"

That voice came from a rather mysterious man who stood at the center of the trio. He wore a thick white cloak that wouldn't have been unfitting on a bishop. His sleeves drooped over his arms and his legs were hidden behind a black drape underneath the cloak. His head was kept hidden behind the shadow of his hood, and atop the hood was a blood red cross. This enigma was the Gear Maker, 'That Man'. Despite his face being draped in shadow, he was clearly looking at Alex with intrigue, just as the boy was doing the same.

On the left of this man was a sultry woman with perhaps a little too much confidence in her appearance. She wore a red witch hat with a skull face on it and it sat atop her black bob cut hair. Around her neck was a black leather choker with a gold ring connected to her cleavage bearing shoulders red jacket. That along with her red miniskirt and thigh high heel boots made her seem better suited for sexual favors than being a servant of That Man. This wicked wench's name was I-No, and she was the only one of the three not paying Alex any heed.

The last person had the eeriest vibe to him, one that unsettled Alex just by looking at him for just a moment. They wore a wing-like hooded mantle with a hood that had shapes resembling eyes. His shoulders are draped with green leather straps with cross-shaped silver buckles, and a larger cross buckle rests on his chest. Between the gap of his mantle a black sleeveless vest with crisscrossed white bands could be seen, along with black pants and baggy black chaps attached to his waist. On his feet were fold over boots with spiked studs and more buckles. So far this made them seem normal, if not a little eccentric in clothing, but then one look at their face would throw all presumptions of normality away. Impaled through their forehead was a large silver spike and their skin was devoid of most color, with their hair short and white as snow. In one of the eyes the iris and pupil had been replaced with a golden coin. With their body frame being as lanky as it was combined with everything else, they were almost like a skeleton walking the Earth. This creep's name was Raven.

Once he had registered everyone in his head, Alex stopped moving just fifteen feet away from the trio and held his head up high, hiding his concerns behind a cocky grin. He then asked That Man "So, what do you want from me?" That Man raised his head a little and kept his hands floating beside his hips. He was absolutely collected, unnaturally so, as he responded "To be honest, your presence here is a bit…disturbing, to say the least. It is almost like a prelude to a much bigger problem than what the Conclave are up to."

Alex winced a little and placed his hands in his pockets, hiding his clenched fists as he then asked "I want to know something real quick. Were you watching me fight Sol?" That Man shook his head and replied "I was not. However, that's different from saying I was not aware of the matter."

Raven remarked in a relaxed tone unbefitting his appearance "It was I who told him." Alex thus swerved his body to the right and folded his arms before his chest, asking That Man bluntly "Then that's what disturbed you?"

"I know there are those stronger than Frederick in this world, at least in his current state…" That Man folded his arms into his sleeves and looked straight into Alex's eyes. For a second, there was a tension between the two that couldn't be described, and the boy thought _"W-What the hell is he up to…?"_

In a single, blunt moment, That Man said "What bothers me more, however, is your other title. Do the words 'Phoenix of Destruction' mean anything to you?" Alex could not keep his cool after that. His forehead wrinkled up as he scowled as tight as he could. That title…it had only been spoken of by those who had gotten in contact with the artifact pieces, which could only mean…

"How the HELL did you get the artifact piece away from the Conclave?!" Alex sudden blurt was followed by That Man replying to him calmly "I am surprised how quickly you pieced that together…But a part of your assumption is wrong. I do not have that artifact. I was merely the first it was offered to."

Alex flinched and then while frozen in shock inquired "W-What the hell are you talking about?" That Man replied to that with intrigue in his voice "I did not invite you here to fester antagonism between us. Far from it, I want to believe that we can benefit each other. But, as long as the words I heard linger in my head, it makes it difficult to discern whether or not you are a friend…or a foe."

The boy raised his head back and stated matter-of-factly "What, the fact I'm working against the Conclave not good enough for you?" That Man stated "That means you stand against their plans. I stand against them too, that does not make the path I take one of righteousness, in some perceptions."

Then Alex shut his eyelids tight and briefly vented his frustrations with a steaming growl. When he was done, he opened his mouth with a sigh and then asked "Then what do you want from me?" That Man replied "It's simple, really. I wish for you to face both of my subordinates in battle."

Alex raised his brows, acting on his suspicions by asking "There's more to it than that, isn't there?" That Man nodded his head and said "I want you to prove to me that you are not this 'Phoenix of Destruction'. Please, for the sake of this trial, do not use that Phoenix Form of yours, and if you can…restrain yourself from killing anyone."

"And you'll share some information about that being that approached you if I succeed, right?" Alex inquired rather bravely. That Man answered in an indirect manner "As I said…I do believe we can help each other out. Now, I-No, if you would please…" In a flash, That Man and Raven disappeared from sight, leaving Alex alone with the wicked wench herself.

I-No sighed and turned to Alex, keeping the lip of her hat down to avoid making eye contact as she mumbled bitterly "Here I am stuck babysitting some shit-faced brat. Whatever…maybe you'll able to get me all hot and wet with your powers, little boy."

Alex clasped his gloved fisted in his hand and started cracking the knuckles for warm-up, replying jokingly to his foe "Sorry, but I don't need an extra helping of Vitamin B-ITCH in my life." Summoning forth a mint colored guitar and using the end to tip her hat up, I-No cracked a smile and said mockingly "Ooooh, what a _spicy_ tongue you have there. You'd better wash that taste out with some milk from your mother's teat, little boy."

Alex cracked his knuckles a little harder and winced a little. He then pulled his hands apart and set them on fire, telling I-No with some ire in his voice "Just letting you know, I'm not pulling punches just because you're a woman, even if you're not much of a lady." He then swung his arms out and let out a flare around his body.

I-No grabbed the rim of her hat and gave a stinky glare at the boy, telling him "Tsk, we'll see how long that attitude lasts when I break you in two, you arrogant little shit." She then strummed her guitar strings with her fingernails and sent a deathly screech through the realm, causing it to slowly transform into a place she better preferred fighting in. It was a realm with dark crimson skies and a heavy fog resting on both the ground and in the air, with bolts of space distorting electricity striking down around them.

Alex thrust his hand out to send forth a beam of fire at I-No, but she dove down and slid underneath the attack while strumming her fingers against the guitar. Pulling up from the strings, she created a spike of neon light that frizzled like vibrating sound, only for Alex to flip back away from it. He then flung his hands out to send a volley of electricity at his foe, with I-No grabbing her guitar and smacking the balls away with a fervent swing.

As Alex landed on the ground, I-No licked her lips and chuckled in ecstasy. The boy clapped his hands and sent a wave of vines riding across the ground. I-No glided up to land and then run across them, commenting in a pleasured manner "Oh come now, isn't it a little early for bondage?" The boy swung his right arm up and made the vines erupt in a pillar underneath I-No's feet, but before they rung tightly around her ankles she leapt off and lightly glided towards the ground.

The mouth on her hat opened up and belched forth a three-dimensional clef note that forced Alex to draw his sword to slice it down. When it burst, the note unleashed a series of sound waves that rang loudly in Alex's ears and briefly stunned him. I-No slipped behind in the meantime and pulled a string away from her guitar, letting it float before Alex's eyes as it went towards his neck.

"Ciao!" I-No remarked before she tugged hard enough for the string to be capable of decapitation. Alex quickly hardened the front of his neck into steel and the string snapped, with him then gritting his teeth and standing back up. Turning right around, he attempted to slice I-No with a downward swing of his blade, but the slippery little minx just hopped back with a surprised look in her eyes. That expression quickly faded as she drew her pinched fingers where the string on her guitar once was and made another appear, strumming all of them at once to send a three wave projectile of sound at Alex.

The boy held his hand out and formed a bubble of water to catch the sound, where it rippled within without making the deafening noise. I-No slid at Alex and tried to smash his face in with her guitar, but he grabbed it in one hand and then swung his sword at I-No's face. She ducked just enough for her hat to be able to fire another note past the blade and into Alex's face.

When the sound waves erupted again, Alex was pushed back a few feet and forced to let go of the guitar. I-No then reared her head back and strummed the instrument, sending a bolt of sound straight into Alex's chest. It pierced into it and left his nerves frizzled for a moment, luckily missing his lungs and heart.

The boy gripped his sword tightly and remarked "Hey, isn't this supposed to be a test?!" I-No scowled and said "Quit your bitching you little shit. That Man said YOU weren't allowed to kill. We've gladly been given orders to end your pathetic life."

Alex paused and widened his eyes with a piercing rage inside of them. I-No laid a hand on the side of her face as it became warm and red, and with a glaze in her eyes and a little saliva slipping from her lips she moaned "Ooooh yes, that's the type of face I love to see! Now I just want you to give it to me some MORE!"

The boy, gripping his fists tightly while dispelling his sword, ripped forward at blinding speeds and got right in front of I-No as the witch was in the middle of fixing her posture. With only a momentary look of shock in preparation, I-No found her head thrusting out as the saliva she had lustfully gathered spat out and her body was sent hurtling back from Alex's explosive punch. After a couple tumbles, I-No landed on her feet with her head lowered down.

Alex stood up and rubbed his gloved wrist a little, stating to his foe confidently "Then you're going to have to do better than scratch me with your overpainted nails, you damn harpy." I-No raised her head up and briefly appeared to be in a frenzy. She then reeled her head back and strum her guitar as hard as she could to send a flurry of soundwaves at Alex.

The boy drew his sword and cut them down, with I-No flying right over to him straight after and jamming her right heel into his chin. Alex bore the strength of his head down on the heel until he was able to push the woman back, where she stumbled back a couple steps with a bit of wobbling in her leg. "D-Damn you…!" I-No yelled out as her hat's mouth opened and prepared another note, but Alex swung his arm out and from his skin excreted a wad of glue that bound that jaw of the hat shut.

I-No, left in shock, took a knee to the neck from Alex, launching her up and then quickly pursuing by launching himself with a burst of air from his feet. He got close to her body with both fists raised back and charged with electricity, then he smashed them right into her face with all of his might, sending her into the ground as the sparks wrapped around and left her colliding like a meteor.

As the electricity erupted from the impact, I-No stood up barely any worse for the wear. Alex thought in a frustrated tone _"No wonder she's able to give even Sol so much trouble…"_ He then raised his hands above his hands and created a sphere of fire that he held out in front and used to send a volley of projectiles at his foe. The witch, with a wicked scowl, smashed the hardened glue off her hat with the guitar and then bent down so it could send out a field of soundwaves that tore apart all the flames coming at her.

Alex charged down at I-No and tried to smash her with a punch, but she simply leapt back and avoided both that and the eruption after. The boy got up and pulled his fist back, but I-No intercepted the attack by strumming her guitar and creating a forward spike of sound that hit Alex and knocked him up. Following on this by kicking her body up and floating horizontally, she strummed again and a vertical spike hit Alex and knocked him a little more up while leaving his nerves frazzled.

I-No glided right up and then smashed her instrument into Alex's forehead, knocking him diagonally down. He skids on his back for a little before rising to his feet and feeling something trickling down the front of his nose. He touched his forehead and smeared some blood across the skin as he confirmed it's presence. Clenching the bloodied fingers into his fist, Alex boiled the liquid into a fine mist and looking loathingly as I-No licked what she had drawn off of her guitar.

She then pulled her arms back and launched herself forward like a spinning rocket. Alex leaped back and swung his arm out as he landed to send an eruption of magma up into I-No's face. She blocked the attack with the flicker of a green shield and charged out with guitar already in mid-swing. Alex thrust his left arm out and repelled the instrument, following on that by setting his other hand on fire and trying to grab her face.

She pulled her body back so Alex would instead grab her breast, and he was temporarily shocked by this little stunt. As such, he missed her legs flying up on both sides of his body and going in for a pincer attack on his neck. When his neck was pinched he let go of the breast and was left to be spun around and thrown to the ground. I-No landed cleanly on her feet and then smashed her guitar into Alex's back a couple times, followed by her using it as a handstand as she grinded her heel down onto his back.

Alex lifted his head up and while his expression was tense, he barely had any anger on his face. I-No gloated to him "Are you enjoying the view you depraved little shit? Consider it a little taste of heaven before I send you to hell."

The boy blinked a couple times and then stared straight ahead. Without a second thought he lunged his hands at I-No's other leg and gave it sharp tug. She was immediately thrown off-balance and landed square on her back. Alex had enough time to scramble to his feet before I-No did, and he quickly and bluntly told you "Yeah you may have something going for you on the outside, but holy SHIT are you ugly on the inside."

I-No scowled with a demonic face only a mother could love and exclaimed "You're really pissing me off you cheeky brat!" Alex winked and smiled as he had the pleasure of mocking her "Oh never mind, you're ugly outside too."

I-No strummed her guitar hard enough that she almost broke the strings and blew away all the fog within thirty feet with a sound wave, but Alex clapped his hands onto his ears and felt only a little twitch of pain through his body. He then swung his hands out and gathered in winding winds, punching forward to smash a couple tunneling tornadoes into his foe's body. I-No was dragged back and left spinning, but Alex's attack was not over.

He clapped his fists together and doubled the combined tornadoes' size before punching forward a giant tornado that dragged I-No into it's form and tore into her body as it rose into the air. With a snap of his fingers, Alex broke the tornado and the witch dropped to the ground, where her body was impaled by a series of spikes he set loose with a flick of the wrist.

He made sure to avoid her vital organs and immediately pulled the spikes down. I-No writhed on the ground as blood spurt from her wounds, and though Alex wanted it to be over he noticed her wounds slowly healing up. With a sigh he said "Riiiight, regeneration. Why does everyone and their mothers have that here…"

As he rubbed the back of his head, I-No rose to her feet, only staying stable when the holes in her legs patched up. She gripped his guitar tightly in her arms and what blood still remained from the wounds drenched her once fair skin. After her body trembled a bit, she suddenly swung her head back and bit her lower lip with a frenzied look of pleasure on her face.

"Yeeeees! You're even better than I could possibly have imagined! This rush I feel after you penetrated me so deeply…I want to experience it again and again!" With a fervent strum of her guitar straight down the strings, I-No screamed "Whip out that little sword of yours, if you're truly man enough to come at me a second time!"

Then, she started to strum her instrument at a very fervent pace as a pair of speakers floated beside her, kept adrift by a single glowing white wing. Alex widened his eyes and drew his blade as I-No filled the realm with hundreds of glowing red boxes crossed through with a warning "X". This was her desperation attack, Megalomania, and what she was doing now was simply the prelude to the true threat.

Alex gripped his sword tightly and ran forward as from out of both speakers erupted an unimaginable swarm of glowing neon balls. Every square inch those red boxes covered, those balls flew around, leaving not a single space for escape. The boy swung his sword out with all his strength to slice through some of the balls in his way. The moment he even grazed one, all others balls homed in after him, coming down like a massive tidal wave of inevitable pain and misery.

Gripping his sword so tightly his bones hurt, Alex took all of his strength and speed and swung so blindingly fast that his body couldn't be seen in the amber blur. He cut down the balls in his path while sprinting closer and closer to I-No. The balls still came in such a number that they pushed him back every now and then.

Gritting his teeth and refusing to give in, Alex thought _"You're a wicked person I-No…You've tormented and attacked countless people just for simple kicks. In any other situation, I'd end your life, but…!"_ With a single, broad stroke Alex broke an opening through the Megalomania and was inches away from I-No. The woman looked shocked and grit her teeth as Alex swung his sword down beside his hip and went in for a final attack.

With determination brimming in his face, Alex started to swing upward, caring not of the balls homing in behind him. With flashes of what he's seen and heard, from the strange auras to the words of other recognizing his role, Alex widened his eyes with the piercing ferocity of a dragon and exclaimed "You're small-time, I-No! I will find out the truth and deal with whoever's getting in our way!"

As the wicked wench cracked her final scowl in his presence, Alex dispelled his sword at the last second and punched I-No hard in the cheeks. The Megalomania shattered upon the attack's impact, putting on a spectacular light show while I-No was hammered against the ground, left flat on her stomach. She struggled to get up, but Alex waved his hand out and with a wave of frost he froze her solid in a crystal prison.

Swinging his arm out, Alex smirked and said "You're a bit too hot, you need to cool off." However, he could not get off a proud chuckle when he was suddenly stabbed through the back by four glowing red needles. The boy lurched up and gasped in pain. Even though his vitals were avoided, the needles still burned his nerves. Turning his head back, he found Raven behind him with the needles held onto his nimble fingers by a pair of rings.

As Alex set a fire erupting around his body, Raven pulled out and stood with his back lurched in a backwards curve, slicing the blood off his needles as Alex turned to face him. The boy panted a little bit and noticed the battlefield changing to a more hellish landscape. The ground was covered by a war-torn grassland, with skeletons buried halfway into the ground and swords and lances impaled through their bones. The sky was then consumed by a pale green fire that darkened the atmosphere.

Looking back, Alex saw that I-No had been teleported away, which gave him no further distractions as he turned towards Raven. The man had a half-hearted smile as he mentioned "Consider that little stab of mine an act of kindness. Lest you forget, this is a battle to the death for you. However…" Raven sharpened his needles against each other and mentioned "Despite his wishes, come at me with the intent to kill. You will not survive otherwise."

Compared to I-No, Alex's tension skyrocketed in the face of Raven's disturbing nonchalance. Gripping his sword tightly, he thought _"Easy for you to say…How the hell are you supposed to incapacitate a man who feels no pain?!"_

 _Next Time: The Moon's Domination_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: That Man II: Worthless as the Sun Above the Clouds**

Standing in the middle of a battlefield reminiscent of the aftermath of a bloody war, Alex stared at the enigmatic and immortal Raven, sword drawn brightly in both hands. With mind went through a few ideas on how to deal with him, but all were shot down near instantly. Gritting his teeth, the boy thought _"He's really got me at a standstill…Guess I shouldn't have expected to get the answers easily."_

Raven stood in his arched back pose and waved his noodle-y arms before him, sharpening his needles every now and then while having a dull look in his eyes. "I will allow you a free attack. Can you perhaps grant me a truly… _delightful_ pain?" Alex shivered and gave out his disgust with a groan.

" _U-Ugh…don't let him get to you Alex. You have seven elements at your disposal. There has to be some combination that can hold him down."_ The boy dispelled the flames in his blade and murmured "Just save this for defense…This creep can handle Sol's fires after all."

Alex then glanced to the right and found his attention grabbed by the weapons in the skeletons. With a light grin he nudged his head forward and ripped some of the blades and spears from the ground, levitating them beside his body. Raven slowly creaked his eyes wide and said genuinely "What a fascinating choice. Am I to be impaled?"

The boy lowered his brows for a glare and then shot the weapons at Raven, who made no attempt at stopping them from impaling through his chest and pinning him against a thick dirt wall Alex summoned behind him. Raven's arms briefly limped beside his hips but then jolted with a lively energy. The thicker part from the spear wounds sealed up in nanoseconds and caked the wooden handles of the weapons with his flesh.

Raven's ensuing grin was basked around the warmth radiating from his cheeks. He seemed to derive pleasure as he put his feet on the ground and slowly walked through the weapons. When he was free the holes in his body sealed fully, leaving only the dripping viscera as proof he was "harmed". The man let out a heavy sigh and looked at Alex, telling him "A pity, not even a twinge of pain. I look forward to seeing what else you have in store, fledgling Phoenix."

Alex gripped his sword tightly, hiding the fears in his body with a confident smirk as he replied "Well, can't say I heard that nickname before." The boy grabbed the handle in both hands and swung it beside his head while in a crouched stance. With fire burning around his feet, the boy lunged straight at Raven, leaving a blazing trail in his wake.

He plunged his sword deep into Raven's chest and blood spurted out from his back. The man was not paused and quickly tried to dig his needles into Alex's neck. The boy let go and leaped back, then swung his right hand out to blow Raven away with a burst of air. Then he swung that extended arm to the right and set off an explosion around the radius of his sword.

Raven's chest was blown open and Alex's sword hurled back into his hand. Raven stood upright still and plunged his needles into his healing wound, pulling out right when he could draw blood from the returned veins. With his weapons drenched, his grinned and lunged forward, but as he did so his body contorted painfully into a distortion of time and space.

Alex widened his eyes and was forced to concentrate on where the man would pop up next. A flicker of his power emerged above him, but when he looked up he was assaulted by a splash of blood in the eyes. With his vision burning, Alex swung a hand up to his face and forced himself to cry to help relieve the pain. Raven took advantage of the situation to drop in front of him and swung one hand towards Alex's chest.

Only by focusing on the strange metal in the needles was Alex able to swing his sword out to defend himself. Then, he was overcome by a piercing pain coming between his right shoulder and elbow due to the other needles being stabbed through them. Alex's heart beat a little faster and he restrained a cry of pain, followed by him letting out a massive burst of fire that incinerated the ground below his feet and launched Raven away.

Though the front of his body was left a charred brown mess of flesh, Raven regenerated that and the clothes he wears in a matter of seconds. Alex laid a hand atop the wounds as his arms limped. Relaxing himself with a couple breaths, the boy flung his sword out with a straightforward toss and cut Raven's body in half before he could make another move.

Halfway through the attack, Alex created another explosion that launched the upper half into the air while disintegrating half of the legs. Raven grinned and contorted his upper body through a warp hole again. The boy swung his hand out and dragged the regenerating legs into a sinkhole, remarking in exasperation "At least he can't regenerate into another Raven…"

Then, Alex was surprised by the sudden cackling from a group of ravens in the sky and looked up. A swarm of those ebony birds flew out from the burning sky, their wings set ablaze as they began to divebomb Alex at a breakneck pace. The boy grit his teeth and sprinted forward, outrunning the birds as they crashed into the ground and exploded. Braking and swerving back, Alex tried to concentrate on Raven's power, but found not even a trace nearby.

Figuring that out would have to wait, as Alex found a projectile speeding towards his backside and was forced to turn around in order to slice down a needle burning with violet flames. Another one appeared behind him and Alex spun around to slice through it, but noticed that it got closer than that the last. Another one appeared and the process repeated again, this time with Alex wincing and thinking _"He's throwing them closer each time…He means to trap me!"_

Those thoughts brewed while he kept slicing down five more needles. When one started getting dangerously close to his legs, Alex set off a burst of fire below his feet to give himself the speed needed to escape, but a series of needles just appeared in a spherical formation around him. Alex widened his eyes and kicked his feet back, quickly rocketing to the ground and getting to his feet after a short tumble.

The needles simply turned and pursued him, but from this angle it was simple to just bring his sword down and send out a boiling wave of magma to melt the needles down to a liquid puddle. A crimson light emerges from above the boy, and he looked up just long enough to see Raven dropping down with a circular aura of energy needles around his body. A leap back avoid the attack, but even as Raven's arm bones cracked against the weight of the impact he was able to launch his body out. Flying towards Alex, he kicked him with the bottom of his upper body hard enough in the chest to get him planted on the ground.

Raven then swung his needles at Alex's neck, with the boy raising his sword to block them and then pushing out to knock Raven off of his body. The boy kicked onto his feet and thought _"Son of a bitch, why couldn't I just fight Sol again?!"_

Raven looked at the boy with a somewhat interested expression and then pressed his hands against the ground. His arms stretched out, bones cracking and breaking from the strain, and put him at perfect level for him to warp his legs back into place for reattachment. The man then commented in a dully humored tone "I thought I told you to fight me with the intent to kill."

Alex frustratingly exclaimed "You. Can't. DIE!" and Raven smirked and replied "And how is that my fault?" The boy angrily swung his sword out with all his might and consumed his foe in a wave of bright flames. Raven held his arms out and basked in the flames like it was sunlight, remarking in turn "Now that's a bit more like it…"

With his body on fire he then ran out towards Alex and swung his needles at him at a faster pace than before. Alex swung his blade out and tried to meet the attacks to the best of his ability, but then Raven swung his right arm out and used a warp to bypass the blade and try to go for the boy's head. Alex's body tensed and he ducked his head back, the closest needle just nicking the tip of his nose. Raven then raised his right foot up and kicked Alex in the gut, stunning him temporarily.

As the boy stumbled back, Raven took advantage of that by stretching his arm out and letting it be cut in half by Alex's weak swing. The limb reformed during the thrust and allowed him to grab onto Alex's face. Then he kept the arm stretched out as he threw Alex up and promptly slammed him against the ground. When the boy bounded up, Raven leaped up and curled his hands together, pulling them right apart and releasing a blood red sphere of distorted energy upon Alex.

This sphere dragged Alex to the ground while leaving his body feeling twisted in pain, even if there were no visible wounds. The boy was left on his back as Raven dived down, grabbing onto his cape to give himself the visage of his namesake. Alex grabbed the ground and made a crater to sink into, and once Raven was over he charged his feet with lightning and kicked straight into his gut. The bolts emerging ripped through the man's body and blew him away.

Alex stood up and pulled his blade back, covering it in a blanket of frost. _"I have to try this…"_ He then launched a wave of it out towards Raven. He was sealed in a crystal of ice much like I-No was, and the rest of the ice briefly dispelled a hole in the sky. The boy held his sword at the end of his swing and slowly lowered it, murmuring "…It couldn't have been that simple."

Sure enough, the ice began to crack, as Raven's body twisted within to disrupt it's structure. Alex groaned at an increasingly frustrated volume, wishing that the man could at least feel some pain. He widened his eyes and thought with some regret _"…That might've been a little much…"_

Raven shattered free with all his limbs twisted like corkscrews, and as they unfurled back into place he threw out a pair of needles down at Alex. The boy leaped after his foe and cut the needles down, but Raven warped away before he could land an attack. Alex spun around and grit his teeth. "Oh come on already!" He bemoaned bitterly.

Raven reappeared on the ground with his back to the boy, and he leaned his head back to remark "It seems you will not be burdening my master with your pursuit of such a bothersome truth." Alex raised his brows and with some hesitation waved a hand out to ask "It's not possible to win by convincing you with words, is it?"

The man twisted his body around and with head hung grinned and replied "Humor me a little, what knowledge could that young mind of yours possibly contain?" Alex was a bit surprised, but didn't keep his suspicions down as he told him "You do know that whoever's throwing that artifact around is a threat to your world, right? And they're also a threat to That Man's plans."

Raven lazily rubbed his chin and responded "So your proposition is that the Conclave is the lesser of two evils, and our time fighting would be better spent working out a partnership to deal with whoever this mysterious entity is?"

Alex said with some uncertainty "Uhhhh, yeah?" The man shrugged a smidge and told him as politely as he could muster "That's not a trust you have rightfully earned. Do you have anything else to offer, hmmhmm?"

The boy blinked a couple times and then swung his sword in a flash, sending a wave of fire at Raven. The man let himself get cut in half again and commented "That's more like it." He healed back up and then leaped towards Alex, and as he was right before his face he said "Now I might be able to enjoy myself."

Alex swung his sword out and countered Raven's needle, then when the man tried to raise his foot up for a kick Alex thrust his fist into the heel of the shoe and sent a shockwave through his leg that shattered the bones there. When that leg limped Raven raised the other one while trying to circumvent the blade with his needles. Alex was more aware of his tricks and didn't fall for his attempts to distract him, shattering the other leg with his punch while coating parts of his neck in metal to stop the needles.

Raven bent his arm in a curve and slipped it under Alex's blade to try and pierce the chin, but the boy grabbed his wrist and tore the hand right off. When the man tried to aim the spurting blood at Alex's eyes, the boy widened his eyes fiercely and created a wave of heat to burn it all away. In doing so, that gave an opening for Raven to punch him on the head and send him flying towards the ground.

Alex braced his landing with a pocket of air and dispelled his sword, throwing his arms back and forming orbs of fire in the palms of his hands. He was left unaware of a tall needle planted in the ground behind him that spawned a field of green fire. In that field, Alex's mind found itself strained, as though the gears of thought were grinding slower and slower. He tried to fire his beam of flame at Raven, but the man dropped from the skies at high-speeds and stabbed Alex through the chest to pin him against the taller needle.

The needles burned in pain a fair bit below his lungs, and Raven was very slowly pushing them up. Though his voice came out faster than usual, Alex could just make out what Raven was saying "It is strange to feel anything, especially jealousy…But I wish I could be in your position." Alex's face winced in pain and he tried to swing his sword at Raven's head. The man cracked his head back to avoid it and swiftly pulled his hand out to slap it out of Alex's grasp, then plunged the needle back into place.

"The agony on your face, the feeling of pain coursing through your nerves. You are human. Delicate…and vulnerable to death." Raven's needles were only a fourth of the way to the lungs, and he rustled his nose while continuing "I had expected the wrath of a god to fall upon me. Perhaps that would've been the one thing that could make me feel again…But I suppose I have long been forsaken. I am not worthy of his love…or his wrath."

Raven's needles got halfway to their mark before he continued again "And it seems you are in a similar disposition as I. Yet…what you are not worthy of is something of far greater value to you, isn't it? That truth you desired so greatly…you will die not knowing it."

Alex, all this time, pondered some solutions to this predicament as quickly as he could in this sloth-like state. _"I-I'm not going to die here. I've survived far more bullshit than a few stabs to the chest! But…what can I do to get out of here? I only have enough time for one move. Repelling him with fire would take too long, my sword is too slow to call back. Damn it…I just don't have enough TIME!"_

As he closed his eyes and for a brief second found it hard to believe that he had nothing left. But that last word he thought was enough to spark inspiration in his mind. _"…Wait a second. Why didn't I think of that sooner?!"_ His eyes glanced down to his pocket holding the Gaia Temporis, but before his arm even moved he hesitated for just a few seconds.

But, with all that was at stake, Alex thought _"No…to hell with doubts! I'll take a little lost sanity as my cost if that'll let me discover the truth!"_ Mere millimeters from his lungs being punctured, Alex shot his arm down into his pocket and touched the stone within. With just a mere thought, time froze to a halt, with all color flushed from the world save for what's on Alex's body.

He was still stuck to Raven's needles, but now his mind and body operated at normal speed. With that, he was able to grab onto Raven's arms and snap them in half. Freed, he quickly put his hands to the wounds and cauterized them with fire. With his heart beating fast, Alex walked over to his hovering sword and upon touching it was able to break it free from the frozen time. He held it tight and laid a hand on the side of his head.

He let out a slightly unhinged chuckle for a second but then shook it off, turning around and with a heavy swing from his blade time resumed at a normal pace. He sent out a concentrated blade of air to break apart the magic needle that slowed him down, and Raven widened his eyes as he suddenly recognized what happened. With his arms split in half and blood bursting out, the man slowly tilted his head towards where Alex stood and murmured "Well well…so the little bird wishes to fly free?"

The man cracked his arms back into place and slid over to Alex, dodging his sword slash by warping away. The boy stood up and glanced around, remarking "I think we're done playing this game of yours, Raven!" He then reached into his pocket and pulled the Gaia Temporis right out, using his thoughts to make it glow before he punched the air behind him and shattered open a hole in the atmosphere, revealing Raven going in for a backstab.

Raven widened his eyes in genuine surprise and then murmured dully "Hmm…so you are more dangerous than I anticipated." He pulled back and avoided another slash, then swung his arm out and grabbed Alex by the shirt. "Time for you to experience MY world." He then dragged the boy right into the broken space that he uses.

This realm was a disjointed mess of reality, with the atmosphere broken like glass shards and the cracks between them looked like they were colored in with splotches of paint. In this realm, Raven's body reflected off the shards and the perception made it difficult to determine where he was, even with the ability to sense his power. The man wreathed himself in those energy needles from before and dove towards Alex, but the boy slid to the right and then coated his leg in diamond before kicking Raven in the spine with all his might.

That was merely an illusion he broke though, and the real Raven snuck up beside Alex and sliced his claws into the pocket containing the Gaia Temporis. With the pocket ripped and the stone floating, Raven thrust his foot up and kicked it far away, quickly attempting to thrust his needles into Alex's body. The boy swerved to the left and spun his sword around to block the attacks, keeping an eye for any slips as he thrust his other hand out to try and call the Gaia Temporis back.

Then he found himself stabbed through the arm by a needle and let out a cry of pain, quickly going to pull the needle from his arm while cauterizing the wound. That only stopped the bleeding, not the weakening of the nerves that left his arm limp for the moment. _"Fine, I'll get it myself…!"_ Caring not to find out where the real Raven had gone, Alex grit his teeth and charged forth after the Gaia Temporis.

Along the way he swung his sword around to cut down any needles, even if that meant swinging his body to deal with the ones going for his vulnerable side. When he caught up to the Gaia Temporis, he dispelled his sword and grabbed it. Then he raised it up ready to break free from this crazy realm, only for Raven to fly down and stab his needles through the back of Alex's hand. The stone dropped out of his grasp and began to fall endlessly through this distorted space.

With his mind in a rush, Alex reeled his head back and thought _"I can't believe I have to resort to this…But I can't give up now!"_ He dove straight down and began to do the craziest thing he's ever thought of. Using his powers to undo his shoelaces, Alex took his shoes off and propelled them towards his mouth, biting down on the aglets at the end of the laces so his feet were perfectly freed up.

In a criss-cross position, Raven flew down after Alex and grinned. Whether it was arrogance or a mocking bit of humor on his end, that didn't matter, as the expression faded and the man tried to go in for the attack. With a surprised moan, Alex spat the shoes out and coated them in metal, battering them against Raven's face multiple times to hold him back. Yet, forgetting about the bizarreness of this realm, Alex's attacks only hit a shard reflecting his image. The real Raven rammed straight into Alex's back and stabbed through him, but Alex bit his lower lip and spun himself around rapidly to build up enough friction to set his body on fire and spread it out to his foe.

The man pulled away before touching any vitals and gave Alex just enough time he needed to break the fire and clasp the Gaia Temporis in his feet. Filling it with energy, Alex kicked it up and shattered open a hole in the realm, which put him right above the prior battlefield. He flew straight out of this nutty space and crash landed on the ground, his body spreading out after a rocky landing.

Quickly pushing himself onto his feet with a strong breath of air, Alex started sweating and realized his arms were still out of commission. Making the dread on his mind even worse was Raven, who landed perfectly on the ground a few feet away from him and commented "That was entertaining, but I take it to mean you have no other tricks left?"

Alex grit his teeth and held his body forward just a bit, but as his arms waved out his weight became lopsided and he nearly fell flat on his face. The boy glared Raven in the eyes and thought _"Damn it…! He's lived too long, he knows how to use his powers far more effectively than I do mine. My only chance to stop him would be the Blazing Overlord Fist…but that'd kill him. Think Alex, there has to be some way to defeat a regenerator…"_

Raven swiped his needles together a couple times to give them a sharpened sheen, then he waved a hand towards Alex and remarked "I will give you credit where it's due. I have not experienced a fight like this for centuries. Your name…It shall stay in mind for the eternities I will be forced to spend in this world, even as your flesh burns to ash."

The man laid his hands beside his hips and suddenly his entire body erupted with a looming pillar of purple fire. He slowly walked towards Alex, turning everything around him to ash. His very life everlasting fueled these fires, and though Alex knew he could resist them for a time being in their presence would surely end him in time. And yet, with the emissary of death approaching, there was an eerie calm in Alex's mind. Perhaps using the Gaia Temporis had gotten to his mind more than he anticipated, or maybe something more brewed in that calculating head of his.

" _Ashes…O-Of course! I should've thought of that sooner! Raven's body reconstructs his own flesh, he can't overstep his bounds on how much flesh he has on him at any given time. That's why he needed to reclaim his legs, and why his limbs can only stretch a certain amount! That means…!"_

By the time his realization came to a head, Raven had already grabbed the boy by the shirt and trapped him within his burning pillar. The man remarked "Now…let us enjoy death together."

With his body in a sweat he's never felt, with his body slowly boiling within him, Alex cracked a smirk and said "Heh…you know, with how long you've been around, I'm surprised you didn't know." Though his eyes were burned away and left as hollow flames, Raven looked a little surprised. Alex, clamping the Gaia Temporis still in his feet where Raven couldn't see, exclaimed "Phoenixes always rise from the ashes!"

He then activated the Gaia Temporis to stop time again, quickly throwing the stone back and then swinging his feet forward to kick himself away from Raven's grasp, having only a part of his shirt torn off. Landing with the stone clamped between his legs, Alex let time resume as a surprised Raven remarked "…Ah, I see. It seems I was the one unworthy to the truth this time…"

The man's flames roared loudly, burning him down to the most basic of ashes. Alex watched this unfold for what felt like an eternity, but when the pile laid on the ground he quickly took the molten metal from earlier and used it to trap those ashes in a pot. Without his head regenerated, Raven would not escape unless someone else broke him free. Alex stared at what he had accomplished, and even he couldn't believe it. He was in such disbelief, in fact, that it didn't take long for him to break into laughter. Though it was quite strained, he enjoyed this feeling of joy in his heart, even as his energy burned out and his body soon collapsed.

A little while later, Alex's eyes would widen awake, his body so full of energy it was like he had been born anew. He quickly swerved to the right and found That Man standing by himself in the empty white void from before. Alex looked down and found he was levitating on a platform made of green magical energies. That Man remarked quite impressively "You recovered faster than I had expected. Your body reacts extraordinarily well to elemental magic."

Alex looked over himself and saw that everything was in order. He could move his arms with ease, his clothes had been put back in order, and the Gaia Temporis say gently in his right pocket. He turned to That Man and remarked with a stutter "T-Thanks?" That Man merely nodded his head and said "Consider this my first act of trust, Alex Whiter."

The boy spun to the right and got off the platform as That Man dispelled it. Alex then raised a hand to That Man and asked "Raven's gone. What did you do with him?" He received a swift reply of "I freed him from that clever little prison of yours and sent him off on another task. He seemed almost…happy?"

"I honestly thought he'd stick around, but I guess he already knows what's going on huh?" Alex folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground in thought, but That Man's silence drew the boy's attention back on Raven's final words and got him to inquire with an aloof glance "…Does he?"

That Man replied "…I was approached when I was alone. None of my subordinates know the entirety of what that being said." Alex's glare got fiercer at that moment, and with a swing of his arm out he exclaimed "Are you kidding me?! You want to talk about trust when you aren't even honest with your own men?! Give me one good reason why I should believe what you have to say about that strange being?!"

Then, at that moment, That Man silenced the boy's anger by slowly reaching for his hood. Silently, the man took it off and left Alex in disbelief. Underneath that hood was the face of a young man with short white hair and blue eyes. However, his right eye was covered by a wind-shaped eye patch and atop his head were a pair of pointed, beastly red ears. Seeing his expression for the first time, all Alex could tell was that deep down, he was hiding his exhaustion behind an insincere smile.

That Man looked Alex in the eyes and told him "Allow me to tell you the tale of a foolish man, a man who took on the weight of sin in this world just to rebel against death in hopes of saving his former friends. This is my tale, Alex Whiter…The tale of Asuka R. Kreutz."

 _Next Time: The Absolute Truth_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: That Man III: Heavy Day**

" _Now, where do I begin? Ah, the tail end of the 20_ _th_ _century should suffice. You see, to understand my story, you must know the state of our world before the existence of Gears. If I recall, it was 1999 when the world as we knew it was forever changed by the incursion of an abnormality from another world. It tried to enter our world through the electronic devices that mankind had become so accustomed to using."_

" _The government, so frightened by these beings incredible power, did the unthinkable and launched an EMP upon the world to prevent this creature from ever existing. To this day, not even I can explain just what this creature was, I can only offer a few theories. Nevertheless, through it's attempted birth, it had seemingly doomed humanity to fall into chaos. After all, technology had been placed at the forefront of our ability to survive."_

" _Had it not been for a group of mages known as the Apostles, human society would've completely collapsed. Because of them, humanity was able to survive by using magic to replace the lost technology. Society went through a grand upheaval, it's structure and the way it was governed had to adapt to this strange and fantastic power."_

" _It took eleven years for pure technology to fade out and be replaced with magitek, and magic itself became a new field of science to be studied. And in this short-lived period of peace, three extraordinarily gifted souls would come to learn together in this strange and wonderful field, and irreversibly change this world of ours yet again."_

" _There was Frederick, or as you know him now as Sol Badguy. Back then…well, needless to say his attitude was no different than how you know him today. He hid his brains behind a rough and reclusive demeanor, and because of that he only shared his brilliant theories with myself and one other."_

" _That other person, who was truly the one holding our little group together, was the thoughtful and delicate Aria. Rarely did I ever see her cry or frown, and her love of life itself was beyond anything I had ever seen. Her imagination was perfect for the type of world we were in, and she was the only person who could get Frederick to open up…In fact, you could say the two of them were in love."_

For a moment, Asuka closed his eyes and seemed to be in delving into solemn thoughts. Alex, patiently folding his arms against his chest, inquired "Hey, is something up?" Asuka put on his simplest smile and shook his head before replying to him "Answer me this, Alex Whiter…Do you ever forget the disasters that have occurred in your life?"

Alex paused, turning his head away and murmuring "I don't think that's possible." Asuka replied "That in itself is both a curse…and a blessing. Humanity can only change if they learn from their mistakes. You and I, even with powers beyond our original humanity, are no different." The man then focused on the boy's irked expression and told him calmly "Let us continue now…"

" _When we weren't working in the lab, the three of us spent our time talking about the simplest things. Aria was always the one sparking inspiration in our conversations_ , _and there was always a child-like innocence to her topics. I personally recall a time she talked about a dream where she was a bird flying high in the sky, and that got us to talk about the view of the world through a human's eyes in comparison to an animals'."_

"Now that I think about it, you don't know what Aria looked like, do you?" Asuka suddenly paused, and Alex remarked brazenly "Some of the Valentines are based off her, right? So I've just been imagining a red-pink haired woman with bright green eyes and a decent figure." Asuka smiled and replied with a tinge of nostalgic melancholy "Your observation is surprisingly accurate. Yes…Aria was as beautiful as a rose, and in many ways just as delicate as one."

" _Do you know why the Gears were originally created? You may be surprised to know that they were never made to be weapons of war. In fact, the entities known as 'Gears' didn't even exist in the conceptual phase of our project. At first, the three of us had only created Gear cells for the purpose of helping human evolution. In the development phase alone, Gear cells could eliminate the ability for a body to become ill."_

" _Of course, at the time, we were worried about the Gear cells being used for military purposes. After all, if a body could not be worn down by illnesses or fatigue, does that not mean these cells would be best suited for soldiers? I considered all possibilities as I submitted the research of the Gear cells, with Frederick and Aria's permission of course, to the state governments. Under four conditions designed to secure the peace and safety of the people involved, we reached an agreement to further the research on Gear cells in 2015."_

" _I was actually surprised that things went off without a hitch. You see, my intentions in creating the Gear cells alongside Frederick and Aria were not at first to revolutionize the medical industry. No, rather it was to save a dear friend."_

" _You will recall the comparison of frailty I made with Aria just moments ago. It was not because her body was small, nor was it due to her being weak of spirit or mind, clearly…"_

"… _She was sick. At some point in her life, Aria had contracted a TP infection. She would not even live to see her thirties at the rate it was developing inside of her. For a long time, she only confided this truth with me, as she was scared of Frederick secluding himself away to try and discover a cure should she tell him. I understood the sentiment…it was just like her to think that way. Nevertheless, Frederick did discover the truth on his own."_

" _He was frustrated, naturally, but in the face of her possible demise his compassion came through more than anything else. He wanted to save her with every fiber of his being, and he practically begged Aria to go into cryosleep until a cure to her condition could be discovered. She refused, as she did not wish to be alone upon waking up. She likened loneliness to death itself. It was the one time I ever saw Aria be selfish. Yet, is it truly wrong, just once, for a human to be selfish?"_

Alex closed his eyes a little and reflected on those words that he had just recently heard. Asuka looked at him and inquired "Is something the matter?" The boy, with heart clenching against his chest like he couldn't believe, coyly replied "…M-Maybe I'm more like Sol than I thought…"

Asuka lowered his head and smiled, telling him kindly "And I believe there is nothing wrong with realizing that, young Overlord." The boy went silent and let the man continue with his tale.

" _Frederick continued to beg to Aria for her to listen to reason and let him help. He could not imagine a world where she did not exist, and refused to let anything stop him from saving her. I remember that conversation vividly…Aria then told Frederick that she had no family, and the only reason she was so smart is that she studied her hardest so as to not be left behind even if she did not enjoy what she was doing."_

" _But she found the world cold and unwelcoming that way. She wanted to change, and in doing so managed to become friends with Frederick and I. We were her very first friends, if you can believe that. And in time, she also discovered love…"_

" _After their heated conversation Aria did, however, agree to enter cryosleep. Frederick promised to find a way to extend his life so he could be there for her when she got out, and as such ended up volunteering as the prototype for Gear conversion. That is where the newest tragedy of the world began."_

" _Something went horribly wrong with the conversion, and Frederick went berserk within the laboratory. It was an unprecedented disaster, and the government was forced to take control of the Gear project away from us. Regrets filling my mind, I disappeared from the world until I could find a way to amend these mistakes. That was when the identity of 'That Man' was born. I would work in secret for over fifty years, while my old friend Frederick gained control of himself just enough to inhibit his Gear powers and adopt the name 'Sol Badguy'."_

" _In those years…Aria died. Her disease took her life even while in cryosleep. Frederick, I imagine, never discovered this as I had. But I refused to let that be the end of Aria's existence. Her body still remained intact, and my knowledge of the Gear cells had grown in those years. Managing to sneak my way back into society, I was able to start another Gear project under the basis of creating the Perfect Gear. Using DNA cultivated from Aria's body, I worked to create a clone that retained everything. Her memories, her love of life…everything. That clone would eventually come to be known and feared as Justice, the God of Destruction."_

"Right, you're the Gear Maker, the one everyone holds responsible for the Crusades." Alex said so matter-of-factly. Asuka frowned and glanced aside, mentioning "They have every right to blame me. Such innocent intentions spiraled out of my control so quickly, it's any wonder I can comprehend it all to this day, even a century later."

" _The tests for Justice ran smoothly at first. It was just like with Frederick, yet the process I implemented this time prevented her from going berserk as he did…Of course, you probably heard how it happened from Frederick by now. Justice went out-of-control and obliterated Japan, then initiated the Crusades against humanity."_

" _That's not the full story. In truth, what occurred were a series of misfortunate circumstances began by our true enemy in all this, the Universal Will. An entity from the Backyard, the Universal Will attempted to enter our world through Justice. I theorize that this same entity was responsible for the fall of technology all those years ago. Regardless, the Universal Will tried to gain control of Justice, and our efforts to stop it were in vain. I tried to terminate the project and bring Justice back, but the Universal Will was too powerful."_

"… _You see, the Backyard contains an abundance of information. Any normal person who'd come in contact with that place would be overwhelmed by the information influx and die. The Universal Will, in breaching our world, would bring that information influx to the entire planet, effectively wiping out humanity. The first stage of it's plan was to take Justice…No, Aria's DNA, and infect the entire island of Japan with Gear cells. By filling the Japanese with information afterwards, they began to transform into Anti-Matter Gears, living bombs of information whose mere existence started to drag the Backyard into reality."_

"… _Aria's body and mind were being torn to pieces as doomsday edged ever closer. I had promised Aria that she would see Frederick again one day. If her wish was to live, if Frederick's wish was to save her…My wish was for them to one day be together again. I panicked, I let my fear and anger take control of me for the first time. I activated Justice's gamma ray against Aria's will…and annihilated Japan."_

Asuka paused for a moment and glanced aside. He didn't say anything as a single tear trickled down his cheek. Alex stood there and watched, unable to say anything himself. He was observing the strength of a man revealing his deepest regrets.

" _The last time I heard Aria as herself…Those are screams of pain I will never forget. When Japan was destroyed, I had stopped the Universal Will for just that moment, but killed Aria again. With their mind fractured by the Universal Will, Justice believed that Gears were seen as nothing more than weapons to be used by humanity and began to loathe the race for their existence. Thus began the horrific Crusades, the most devastating moment in human history."_

" _After that, I discarded my presence from the world. Not that history would forget the man responsible, they would only forget his true name. Those who survived the horrors of the Crusades rewrote the truth to disguise an even greater threat than Justice ever could've been. After all, with Justice's death, humanity had earned it's peace, yes? No…the Universal Will is still out there, and with it's previous plans thwarted it has chosen a more direct approach to attack our world."_

"The Valentines." Alex replied bluntly. Asuka nodded his head and gestured a hand out as he mentioned "The Universal Will did not return to the Backyard empty handed. As it had acquired Aria's DNA, it had a means of creating puppets to do it's bidding. Every Valentine has a bit of Aria's DNA inside of it, but some are better copies than others."

"Like Elphelt and the original Valentine." Alex said in turn. Asuka once more nodded and continued "Nevertheless, the Universal Will is not our current problem. As you know, the Conclave intend to resurrect Justice and use her hollow form as a weapon. I have been asked by Dr. Paradigm to assist in dealing with the Cradle before Justice can be revived."

"And of course, nobody knows you're involved besides me and him." Alex remarked, and as he rubbed the side of his head he cracked a little grin and mentioned "Man, Sol's going to flip his shit when he finds that out."

"You don't intend to tell him, do you?" Asuka asked with a sly smile on his face. Alex gestured out and said in a humored tone "No, I don't think that's a good idea." Then, after a slight pause, the boy stood upright and folded his arms, telling Asuka firmly "I get why you told me that story and all, but I still feel like you left a few details out."

Asuka couldn't help but affirm that with a chuckle, but Alex merely sighed and told him "Whatever, I'll trust you for now, ok? That whole story of yours isn't something you'd just tell any person." Asuka responded "Thank you. Now, there's one thing I'd like to ask you, Alex Whiter."

Alex, with a groan out of impatience for long it was taking to get to what he wanted to hear, muttered "What now?" Asuka relayed his question in a curious tone "If the world you knew were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?"

"Huh? What kind of stupid question is that? I would save the world or die trying. Isn't that what anyone would do?" Alex aloofly flipped his hand out beside his chin and gave Asuka a puzzled glare. The man closed his eyes and said "You'd be surprised how few would say that. Nevertheless, it's an answer I can admire."

Opening his eyes, Asuka looked at Alex and told him "I owe you whatever information I can give regarding that being that came in contact with me." Alex clapped his hands and said "Finally, geez!" but then after a short pause he grimaced and realized that for all his impatience on the matter he didn't even know where to begin.

Snapping his fingers a couple times in rhythm while coordinated his thoughts, Alex eventually did a firmer snap directly before his chest and said "Oh yeah, how about you tell me what this person looked like?" Asuka widened his eyes a bit and remarked "You believe their appearance will help you determine their identity? …Well, as wise a move as that is, I'm afraid there is little I can tell you regarding that."

"What? Why?!" Alex exclaimed. Asuka replied with a simple gesture out "Their form was not one I could comprehend. Their identity was hidden within a blur of information. The only two things I could discern was a parasol they carried and that they entered and exited through a small black portal."

"A…parsol?" Alex for a moment thought Asuka was jesting, but the man replied "It was a curious tool to carry around, certainly, but I could tell it had to have been of great importance to them."

Alex swerved his body a little and remarked "So you couldn't even figure out their gender? How did they speak?" Asuka replied with some more certainty than before "They were very formal, yet there was something cold and detached in how they addressed me. It was a bizarre manner of speaking, yet I could not deny they were intelligent…"

"I don't think you're stupid. For that being to make you doubt me, they had to have been pretty intelligent themselves. But just what the hell did they even say in the first place?" After Alex's blunt inquiry, Asuka told him "I can't recall the entire thing, but I should be able to give you the important details."

"The being told me that there are three Elemental Overlords in the universe-"

" _T-Three…? …Wait a second, that person probably counted that evil clone of mine."_ Alex shook his head and continued listening.

"-and that each Overlord has their own title. There is the Phoenix of Rejuvenation, the Phoenix of Balance, and the Phoenix of Destruction. Each has their own role to fulfill in the order of the universe. The being told me only about you, however."

"Geez, I don't even know what I did to deserve such a _**flattering**_ title." Alex rolled his eyes at the statement and then let out a scoff, then Asuka mentioned to him "According to them, you are destined to bring ruin to the universe. Countless worlds are to be burned in your wake."

Alex grit his teeth and exclaimed "To hell with that!" He slammed an open hand against his chest and continued his rage "I'm the Elemental Overlord! I'm the good guy! That world destroying MO belongs to the fucking Dark King!"

Asuka looked at him with a tint of surprise on his face before mentioning "Your power is great, and more than likely you could burn the world to nothing if you wanted. But despite your rough exterior, I believe in the kindness you carry inside of you, Alex Whiter. You have no reason to listen to their accusations."

Alex calmed down just a bit and pulled back, gripping his hand against his shirt and muttering "Like that makes any difference. I've been referred to by that crappy title even before that being showed up. Some higher power clearly has it out for me."

"…I have no clue. Regardless, there is more to the conversation. They wanted to give me the artifact piece and use it's power to defeat you. When I refused, they chose to give it to the Conclave."

"Why did you refuse?" Alex inquired. Asuka said "I could sense something within the stone. A temptation stronger than anything I ever felt…If I had taken that stone, I imagine I would've been put under the thrall of that being's power."

"So anyone who has the artifact piece is put under a sort-of mind control?" Alex thought on that for a little and then remarked "That's actually pretty important. I kinda thought about that the last time I saw someone in possession of the artifact, but it's nice to have someone back me up."

"I'm actually curious about something. Do you not have a couple of those stones yourself?" Asuka inquired with a surprising degree of curiosity. Alex replied "Yeah? But those are Aurian artifacts. I guess whatever booby-traps are on them are disabled when Shina gets a hold of them."

"Then our path is clear. The Conclave is currently in possession of the artifact, so what you need to do is have your friend take the stone from the Cradle when Sol and I manage to deal with Absolute Defense: Fellion. That can prevent a greater disaster from unfolding."

Alex raised his right hand up and lit it on fire, remarking to Asuka "If all else fails, I'll beat the shit out of Justice and grab the stone from it's corpse." The man closed his eyes a bit and told him "Don't underestimate their power."

"Don't underestimate MINE." Alex firmly replied before clenching his hand to dispel the flames. He then swung his arm out while Asuka told him "I'm not referring to Justice. Be wary of the being responsible for all this. They have knowledge of this world, they are able to traverse the dimensions, and they appear capable of giving power to others."

Alex glared a little at him and replied "I've killed the Dark King. Whoever this bastard is, they can hide behind their schemes all they want, but one day I'll find them…and kill them." He had no clue of how grim his expression looked when he said all that. Even so, Asuka responded to him calmly "Do not let those flames of vengeance consume you like they did Sol."

The boy widened his glare for a few seconds but then slowly calmed down. With a gruff sigh he kicked a foot forward and mentioned "I'll worry about the problem at hand for now. But is that everything you have to tell about the being?"

Asuka lowered his head and remarked "That is everything I have to say. I will now transport you back to Zepp. Just be sure not to tell Frederick or anyone else about this conversation." As Asuka put his hands up to cast magic on him, Alex held a hand out and said "Maybe I'll tell Shina in private, but otherwise-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before he was whisked away through a black magic portal that was quickly sealed up.

By himself, Asuka hung his head and begun to put his hood back on, cloaking his identity in shadows. Behind him a black slit opened in the realm, with widened into an oval as a disturbingly pixilated 'thing' floated into the area. Asuka turned around and face the being, remarking to them "So, you were watching the whole time."

" _I aM alwaYs watChINg…AsUKa."_

"Tsk…Then you know what stance I have taken on your little affair." Asuka remarked roughly. The being replied coarsely _"It sHaLL suFfice"_ and then from their form emerged a small sphere made of blue, glowing specks. Asuka held his hand out, and that warm sphere floated over to him. Looking at it for just a bit, his thoughts were interrupted when the being remarked _"HoW wElL you deCeiVeD the deSTroyer…I Am aLMosT imPResseD."_

"…." Asuka was without words, and the being continued _"To cLAim yOu waNtEd to BriNg them toGETher agAIn…YeT you hIDe jEAloUsY in yOUr heARt."_

"A monster such as you, who would steal Aria's soul and use it as a bargaining chip, does not get to preach about such things as manners of the heart." Asuka then placed the inside of his cloak, while the being edged closer and remarked in a harsher tone _"dO noT thiNK you get to tAKE such a HAugHTy stANCe,_ _ **Asuka R. Kreitz**_ _. I CarE naUghT for yOUr peRCepTIOns. AnY who HoLd even an Inch of fool hearty REverEnCE to that WICked PhoeNIX…I HAve no QUalMs with BREaking their FRAgile woRLds if IT means BREAKING him eVEn further."_

"Then you are no better than your perception of him. You shall be brought to justice one day." Asuka bravely spoke out, but the being had a dainty laugh before saying _"'Justice'…? HolDINg ME to sUch a quAInt and…_ _ **human**_ _coNCEPt…How humorous…"_ Then they slipped slowly back into their void to never again meet with the Gear Maker.

Back in Zepp, Alex was sent out of the portal close to Ky's ship. He caught the shift in environments and stopped talking on the spot, followed by him looking around and mentioning "Huh, accurate transportation…Wasn't expecting that."

Looking directly at the ship, Alex rubbed the back of his head and murmured "Guess I'll see who's in it…" He went to the stairs and entered the ship, feeling around for any faint energy signatures. Ramlethal was still in the interrogation room, and Elphelt and Sin seemed to be in the kitchen. That left Shina, who Alex didn't have to sense because he saw her lying on the couch with legs kicked up on the arm and hands folded atop her stomach. She was deep in thought until she saw him enter, at which point she lifted her head up a little, waved a hand, and said calmly "Oh hey, you're back…"

Alex walked into the living room and remarked "I took a bit of a stroll. Zepp's the only place on this damn planet that reminds me of home." He then looked right at her and asked "Did you seriously stay here all night?"

Shina laid her head back and remarked aloofly "Oh sure. Sin and I had a little uhhh…fun with Ram." The boy put his hands in his pockets and let out a sigh. He could tell Shina was trying to avoid any conversation with him. Thus he stated simply "Well look, tomorrow we're going to be attacking the Cradle. Get ready to get the artifact piece so we can move on to another world."

"Suuuuure thing sarge!" Shina replied in a blissful tone while wagging a finger up in the air. Alex turned around, gave her a quick glance, and started to make his way back to the hall. Before he entered, he looked back again and thought _"…Now that I think about it, Shina and Aria have some similarities to each other."_

He then found himself inexplicitly blushing and shook his head, turning away and murmuring like a loon "B-But unlike Sol, I don't have feelings for my Aria…I-I swear I don't." He clenched his fists tightly and walked away, preparing for what would be a grand battle to defeat the Conclave.

 _Next Time: New World Order_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Storyteller**

 _November 2_ _nd_ _, 2187: The Day of Attack_

Everyone got up bright and early the next day to make the final preparations for the attack on the Cradle. Alex and Shina followed Ky, Sol and Sin through Zepp as they made their way to the hangar near the front tip of the nation. Along the way, Alex decided to ask "So Ky, what's the plan for today?"

Ky glanced back and remarked "Dr. Paradigm didn't tell you?" Alex shrugged his shoulders and told him "We actually didn't talk much, and none of it was about the Cradle." As Sol gave the boy a suspecting glance, Ky curiously inquired "You were gone for a couple hours. Just what were you doing?"

Alex blinked a couple times and remembered the battles he had, the painful moments in particular coming to the forefront. With a nonchalant smile the boy gestured out and said "Had a little resistance from the bodyguards." Ky rubbed his chin and said "They should've let you in right away."

"You may find it hard to believe, but people don't usually look at a teen and think 'Oh hey, he's definitely got god-like powers'." Alex murmured jokingly. Shina, with arms folded behind her back, remarked in turn "Ya sure have the attitude for it."

The boy arched his brows and grumbled "Oh great, this bullshit again…" and promptly ignored her sass. Ky looked ahead and said with a little shakiness in his "W-Well, our plan is simple." Sol bluntly interjected "You didn't understand a damn thing that stupid bird said, did you?"

Ky turned his head and admitted with a hearty chuckle "I'm afraid not…." Sol let out a deep sigh and said "Fine, but I'm charging even more for this lesson." Ky widened his eyes and stuttered "Y-You're going to buy me out of my castle at this rate!"

Sol turned his head and began explaining "That stupid bird is going to set up a bunch of sticks in the middle of a wasteland. The sticks will act as a beacon to draw in the Cradle and hold it in place. Then, FINALLY, all the nations have gotten off their ass and pulled their forces together to launch an all-out attack on the Cradle."

"What about Absolute Defense: Fellion?" Alex inquired. Sol glared at him and said "When the hell did you hear about that?" The boy replied "Paradigm mentioned THAT much at least."

Sol turned his head and mentioned gruffly "Hell if I know. The bird said he had a trump card." Alex lowered his head a bit and smiled, thinking to himself _"Yeaaaah, you're not going to like what that entails."_

Sol then waved a hand out and continued "Right now, my part in this insane plan is to just ride a rocket. It's supposed to be locked onto the same beacon the Cradle will be focused on." Sin added on excitedly "And then BOOM! Absolute Defense: Fellion will be destroyed!"

"Idiot! If it was that easy we would've done that by now!" Sol exclaimed harshly. Alex shrugged his shoulders and pointed out to Sin "Not to mention I probably could've handled it then. Actually, why don't we just throw me at Fellion? This IS my specialty."

"You have a point…" Ky remarked, and Shina smiled while saying bluntly "Certainly, no one in this room will argue you there." Alex growled for a few seconds before looking at Sol and saying "You can't tell me you aren't afraid of blowing up."

The man responded "No, we're going with the rocket plan." Alex replied "You still don't trust us, do you?" Sol was silent, and with a shrug of his shoulders Alex told him "Whatever, we're going to be heading to the Cradle's projected emergence site anyways….Uhhh, where is it exactly Ky?"

"I believe it was the Northern Black Sea." Ky replied. Alex snapped his fingers and remarked "Great! We'll head out there right away!"

Shina replied almost stubbornly "Uh uh uh! We're not done here yet!" Alex glared at her with an impatient ferocity and upon swinging his arms out exclaimed "Wh-AT?! What could we POSSIBLY have left to do here?!"

Shina jerked her head away from Alex and politely asked Ky "Hey Ky? Are ya sure you have enough forces out there waiting for the Cradle?" The King replied "There are dozens of the world's finest ships out there. Their firepower is not to be underestimated."

"You gotta not underestimate what that artifact piece is capable of. Maybe give a heads-up to use just a liiiiittle more firepower, just to be safe?" Shina's request ended with her cheery smile, and Ky nodded before replying "Alright, I'll see what the armada can do."

With her smile coming across a little smugger, Shina looked at Alex and said "Now…we are done." Alex let out a whisper of "Good grief…" and shook his head.

Sin held his hands behind his head and admitted in his happy-go-luck tone "Can't believe you guys get to have all the fun. Don't see why I can't have a piece of the action." Sol gruffly told him off "Don't be a child. Action is the last thing any of us want to have to deal with."

Sin cocked his head and with a smile remarked "Awwww you're not fooling anyone old man. Those rickety bones of yours are just itching for battle." Sol shook his head and then kept moving on without comment. Sin glared confusedly and murmured "Huh, not even a 'dumbass' this time…"

Alex gently socked Sin in the arm and said "The time for kidding around's over Sin. If we don't stop Justice's revival, the whole world's screwed." Sin paused as the boy and Shina passed him by. He then said "Well, seems the odds are in our favor, just saying. You could stand to have a little levity."

Stopping right in place, Alex turned right around and brandished a finger at Sin, telling him with the utmost seriousness "The only time the odds are in our favor is when we've absolutely, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, won." He then turned back and continued walking. Sin blinked a couple times and then ran to catch up with Shina, who hung her head a little bit as she walked.

"Yo, Shina!" Sin's sudden remark got her perking her head up to look at him. She seemed more aloof than usual as she said "Huh, yeah?" Sin waved a hand out and asked "I've been thinking. Once this whole Justice thing blows over, why don't we all have a party back at Ky's castle?"

"Another party?" Shina replied dully. Sin nodded his head like an energetic puppy before telling her "Yeah! We could have everyone! You two, Ky, the old man, El, Ram! It'd be a celebration of victory!"

"O-Oh really? W-Well we'll see Sin…" Shina glanced away and suddenly kicked up her pace. Sin was just left deflated of most of his usual optimism, and he let out an almost cynical "Geez, I was just trying to cheer you up…What's bitten her butt?"

Eventually, the group exit's the underground tunnels and find themselves pretty close to the nose of this leviathan of a nation. It was filled with pristine grass and offered an incredible view of the blue skies. Hard to believe a battle was to occur on this day. Sol pulled out his Junkyard Dog and gripped it tightly against his hip, remarking gruffly to himself "Still an hour 'til that rocket fires. So what, I'm expected to sit my ass out here until then?"

When his comment became directed towards Ky, the King remarked in a humored tone "I could order you a chair, your highness." Sol scoffed and said "Ah screw it, I'll just stare at the clouds."

Alex looked at Ky and told him "Meanwhile, Shina and I will take off towards the clouds. Sooo…you activate communications by putting a finger near your ear lobe, right?" As the boy gestured at the part of his body he referred to, Ky explained "Yes. You'll want to try and keep them on at all times once you land."

"Can do! Thanks!" Shina passed between the two and waved Ky off, then she takes right off the ground and begins her flight away from Zepp. Alex shook his head and said dully "Yeah, thanks. Lets just…try and make it through this." He then took off after her, closing the distance in seconds.

"Hey, what's with your mood today?" Alex inquired as he kept behind Shina's legs. Shina looked back and stuttered "B-Because it's hard to contain my excitement! …Something wrong with that?" Her words carried a weight of bluntness to them that Alex had familiarized himself with by now.

"Oh no no, you're not going to brush me off this time Shina Aurora." Alex said while his eyebrows slanted into his glare. Shina swung her head away and Alex quickly flew in her path, forcing her to brake and float in place upright. The boy looked her in the eyes as she gave a ditzy glance and told her "Can't you tell me the truth? I thought we agreed we're friends."

Shina raised her brows and jokingly said "Are we?" Her attempt at a giggle after did not amuse Alex, who swung his hand out and said "Yes, we are! Come on now, take this seriously!"

"Oh, like how you took our conversation seriously a couple days ago?" Shina took it upon herself to hold nothing back when she quickly spelled that out to Alex. The boy had his suspicions this was what was on her mind, but that only made his ensuing response come across bitterly "Oh so that WAS why you're acting so pissy. Shina, I listened to what you had to say, don't act like I turned a blind eye to your problems."

With a flustered look in her face, Shina stuttered "T-That's not…! Ugh, you're going to waste our time, we need to get to where the Crad-" She tried to fly past Alex, but the boy grabbed her by the wrist and turned her back. She tightly clenched her fist and stared at him, asking him nicely "T-This isn't how you handle a lady."

"You got a lot of growing up to do before you have the right to describe yourself as a 'woman' or 'lady', Shina Aurora!" Alex yelled out. The girl pulled her head back and let out a shocked gasp, then went deafly silent as Alex told her "Look…you want to know where I was yesterday? I was asked to have a meeting with That Man."

"W-What?!" Shina blurted out, with Alex nodding his head and letting go of her hand. He looked away and remarked "We talked for a bit…he was kinda suspicious of me being here with you. He trusts us now, but more importantly…"

Alex closed his eyes and didn't want to spell out what he heard, so instead opted to tell her "…It got me thinking. If there's more on your mind, just tell me. I'm willing to hear you out on anything, ok?" Shina fluttered her eyelashes and turned around, murmuring outside Alex's hearing range "I'd have better luck talking to a wall…"

The boy told her "Shina, say something" and she looked back and leaned in close to Alex's face, grabbing his hands and saying with a bright smile "Look me in the eyes and you'll see nothing's bothering me. I'm fine, honest!"

He did just that and saw them glittering. She could hide it behind as much of that as she wanted, but there was a sorrow in those pupils she would never be able to bury. With a lofty sigh, Alex shook his head and lied "Forget about it. You're fine…" She pulled away and said "See, I told ya!"

She then turned around and mentioned "Don'tcha feel silly for bringing this up now? Hehe, come on Alex, lets go!" She took off again, but before Alex followed her he swung his head back and let out a hollow sigh.

"… _When did I start caring more about her feelings than she does? …Bah, Sin's naivety must be contagious. Y-Yeah, that's all it is…"_ He shook his head and went off after her. They traveled for a while until ending up at their destination. Obviously it was easy to pick that out from hundreds of miles of barren ground due to the dozens upon dozens of battleship all aiming at a central point in the sky.

Heading closer to the ground, Alex looked around for anyone that might be important amongst the groups of soldiers who were setting up some glowing rods in the ground in an orderly fashion. Somewhere near the center, the boy recognized Paradigm floating close to a man with almost a mane of blonde hair stretching down his back.

Alex wasted no time in dropping right down between the two as they were in the middle of a conversation, causing the mysterious man to turn his head and utter in a flabbergasted tone "What the hell?!" The boy looked to Paradigm as Shina landed behind him before he said "Hey doc, how's it going?"

Paradigm nudged his glasses up and glanced past Alex at the other man, pointing out to him "Speaking of wild cards…" The doctor gestured his claw and commented "King Leo, allow me to introduce you to Alex Whiter. Alex Whiter…meet King Leo of Illyria."

The boy turned to the man and had to lift his head up a little to look him in the eyes. He wore a bright orange trench coat with pointed shoulders and fur covered cuffs. On the back of his fingerless gloves were silver crosses that looked like they were as sharp as a knife. In fact, he seemed to love crosses more than even Ky, as there were some black one on his sleeves and some small silver ones pinning a black cloth over the front of his neck, along with a couple grey ones stretching down the length of his black pants. The man's face was rough, yet carried an air of kindness to it amidst his curious glance towards Alex.

In the presence of this proud and regal man, Alex casually waved his hand up and said with some awkwardness in his voice "Sup?" Leo rubbed his rigid beard and remarked "So you're the one Ky spoke of?"

Alex grinned and inquired "I'm guessing there was nothing but high praise?" Leo turned his head and closed his eyes, muttering firmly "Well, I wouldn't say that's what I categorized you under in my dictionary."

With eyebrows lowered in an unamused glare the boy said "I'm under 'reckless' aren't I?" Leo held his hand out and spoke honestly "Well I didn't want to be rude, but…yes. However, perhaps a little recklessness is necessary today."

"Whenever the Cradle actually bothers to show up that is." Alex closed his eyes and folded his arms together, leading to Paradigm telling him "It's a complex scientific procedure Alex. Every beacon must be placed in the exact positions I asked them to be, and if too many of them are disrupted it'll throw the entire plan into chaos."

Immediately, Alex drew his sword and looked around, earning confusion from the others. Leo started to glance while raising the crosses on his gloves up, remarking hastily to the situation "What?! Are we under attack?!"

Alex paused and blinked a couple times, dispelling his sword while saying "Damn it Paradigm, don't jinx us like that. Haven't you read any fiction? You don't use those kinds of words." Paradigm nudged his glasses some more and commented in a bluster "How absurd. Words simply do not contain any sort of metaphysical property that allows the speaker to manipulate the probability of events in reality."

The boy gave a nasty glance back at the doctor and commented "…Says the magic lizard." Paradigm got rather testy in his response "Gear, I am a GEAR!" After a rough sigh, Alex shook his head and asked "What's the projected time for the Cradle to show up?"

"…Twenty minutes. Soon enough, Zepp will have launched it's rocket with Frederick on it." Paradigm answered, with Shina following up on that to say "Shouldn't a rocket get here quickly?"

"It'll work within our projected parameters. Trust me on this, I AM a scientist, after all." Paradigm was proud of himself and cracked a grin, until his joy was deflated by Alex's sarcastic quip "So why do you call yourself a doctor instead of a professor?"

"Ghhhrrr…don't you have some preparations to do Alex?" Paradigm growled and tried to hold his cool. Alex shrugged and said "Can't do anything until you guys crack the Cradle wide open. We're just here to make sure we time things right and offer defense in case something goes wrong."

The boy then glanced around in a suspecting manner and then murmured "And something is DEFINITELY going to go wrong…Aaaaaany second now." Leo overheard him and declared with all his authority "Tensions are high enough as it is! Don't make it any worse!"

Alex blinked a couple times and put his hands in his pockets, thinking _"I'm the only one here not caring about the Conclave's plans…How can I when that being is probably plotting to use that artifact's power at any given moment."_ With a scoff that blew aside some stray hairs, the boy then leaned back against a wall of stone he kicked up with his heel and stared at the hole in the center of the armada.

"… _I can't shake the feeling that person's watching me right now."_ The boy looked up to the blue sky and for once could not enjoy it's splendor, for he could only imagine a pair of ghastly eyes looking down at him. With a docile shiver, the boy closed his eyes and tried to keep his mind off that for a little.

After a few minutes of being unsuccessful, Alex creaked his eyes open and looked to Shina, who patiently murmured something over and over to herself. Kicking off the wall and taking a short stroll over, Alex's mind locked onto a particular subject and he brought it up to her "Hey Shina, strange question, but have you felt weird touching those artifact pieces?"

She turned her head and commented rather swiftly "No, why?" Alex blinked a few times and whipped up another of his lies "Considering what happened with the others who touched it, I thought maybe they were booby-trapped. But then more than one person touched them, and it stops whenever you get them."

Shina replied while waving a hand around beside her face "Duh, it's an Aurian relic. Why would an Aurian be affected by any of it's traps?" Alex folded his arms against his chest and said "I can think of many reasons, but given the circumstances I'd just be nitpicking."

"Ooooh and we can't have that now can we?" Shina commented in a humored tone, resting some fingers gently on her smile. Alex gave her the stink-eye and told her "Or maybe there's no brain in there to be controlled."

"Don't be silly. How else would I be moving around?" Shina giggled and Alex replied "A question for the ages. What's your opinion doc?" Paradigm nudged his glasses up and replied seriously "Well if you must know, I'd say your assumption is impossible. No living thing can function without a brain. Even magic cannot amend this problem."

"Unless they're a puppet, right?" Shina remarked, and Paradigm turned to look at them before saying "Well now that you mention it, that reminds me of the structure of the Valentines. In-"

Suddenly, an explosion went off behind the group, and everyone jerked back to find that one of the beacons had suddenly been destroyed. Paradigm and Leo's mouth went agape, with the Gear's glasses lifted up by his snout as he muttered "Wh-What is the meaning of this?!" More and more beacons kept being destroyed at a ridiculous pace as something kept warping around the area.

Only briefly does this being allow themselves to be seen, but when they do it was clearly Bedman causing trouble here. Alex drew his sword for real while Leo remarked in exasperation "That's the person from Ky's report!" Suddenly, an operator chimed in through the communicators to say _"Sir! Beacons A-1 through A-7 have been destroyed!"_

" _What?!"_ Sol's strained frustration could be overheard right after. Leo swung his arms out and the crosses on his gloves grew in size to become reasonable weapons, remarking bluntly to Paradigm "Redirect the signal! I'll handle this!" He then sprinted after Bedman, kicking up dust in his wake. Alex looked back at Shina as she drew her rapier and told her "Let me handle this, he can't read my mind! Just worry about the Cradle!"

"B-But…!"

"Shina!" When Alex firmly yelled her name, she weakly withdrew her weapon and didn't say another word. The boy then ran into the battlefield after Leo. Paradigm, meanwhile, had a stressed out look on his face as he mentioned "This isn't good…"

As Shina looked at him, Paradigm surveyed the area and said "If we cannot redirect the signal in time, the rocket's emergency protocols will fire Frederick off into space!" Shina widened her eyes in surprise, but the doctor simply kept his cool and said "Redirect the signal to S-2! We must keep pace ahead of the enemy!"

Over with Leo and Alex, they had made their way over to Bedman's location as he had one of his wheels ready to smash a nearby beacon. Leo roared out "That's enough Birdman! …Or Badman…Or whatever you call yourself!" Keeping his confidence high, the man swung one of his cross swords at Bedman and managed to get his attention. "I'm not going to let you compromise this operation!"

Bedman used his strange warp to get behind Leo, surprising him momentarily. Bedman raised a wheel ready to strike Leo's back, but before Alex could leap to his defense the man turned around and punched the wheel with the back of his sword. Bedman was sent skidding along the ground, and afterwards he projected his voice into his foes' minds and said with his usual condescension "Well now…not bad King Leo."

Leo held his arms in a cross before his chest and exclaimed angrily "Don't patronize me!" He then grinded his swords together and the sparks released combined into a metallic X-shaped projectile that flew right at Bedman. The man warped out of the way and reappeared near a beacon, immediately swinging his arm out to try and break it. Alex got in the way and swung his sword out to block the attack, but Bedman bent his other arm around Alex's body to smash the beacon.

Warping right after just before Leo could attack him, Bedman reappeared beside another beacon and smashed it, but this time Alex managed to swing his arm out and call forth some vines to bind Bedman's legs in place and prevent his escape. "Leo, go for it!" Alex exclaimed, and the man said in a disbelieving tone "A soldier does not need to order a king!" before charging right at Bedman.

The man quickly ripped the vines apart with the blades on his wheels and warped before Leo could strike with a broad downward slash. Leo spun around and said "Son of a…! I hate teleportation!" Bedman reappeared between Leo and Alex and said "I have no interest in either of you, I'm just here to remove these pesky beacons."

Leo launched another X-shaped projectile while Alex thrust a fireball out. Bedman warped away and let them both destroy each other, then he in turn wrecked a beacon upon reappearing. Turning around, his smugness could be felt as he said "Sorry, but we're not going to let you destroy the Cradle."

Leo proclaimed angrily "Damn it, we were so close too! What's the closest beacon?!" His operator responded to everyone who could hear _"S-Sixty kilometers away sir!"_ Leo glared straight at Bedman, who grinned into the minds of him and Alex before saying "You had a brilliant strategy in mind, honestly, bravo to Paradigm. But in the end a plan is only as good as it's structure and if I can break it so easily then it's nothing more than fool hearted hope."

Alex grinned and swung his sword back, lighting his other hand on fire before saying "You saying you've snuffed our hope out? Idiot, haven't you heard of plan Bs?!" Bedman responded "Oh please, you're just blowing hot air. That's the only element you're good at using…Wait, what?" Something gave the boy pause and he turned around, and Leo and Alex both looked up to see a certain flying pirate ship descending it's way towards the battlefield.

Leo widened his eyes and muttered "Wait a second, isn't that…?" Alex couldn't help but crack a grin as the ship flew right over Bedman and left him with a realizing stutter of "Wait a second, you couldn't have-"

"Keep your eyes on the prize, son."

Announcing his presence with his cool-headed, southern drawl, Johnny was suddenly behind Bedman with his thin sword drawn from his wooden stick. Bedman turned around and just managed to block the attack with the back of his wheel. Bedman grit his teeth and teleported behind Johnny, and the man slowly turned while saying in a tauntingly friendly manner "Good to see you again, buddy!"

Bedman only had vile to spew towards this sudden guest "Worthless vulture!" In the meantime, Leo was able to get behind the man and go for a cutthroat attack at the machine's neck. Bedman warped again behind Johnny, but the man turned around and sliced at him with a quick draw of his blade. Bedman blocked the blow, but was then vulnerable to a thunderous kick to the face by Alex, which sent Bedman tumbling away.

With a backflip Alex landed next to Johnny and said "Glad you could join the party!" The man grinned and kept a defensive posture towards Bedman before he replied "You're here too kid? Heheh, then I reckon it really is a party."

As Bedman started to get back to his feet, Johnny remarked casually "So, how's it going with your lucky lady?" Alex widened his eyes and then composed himself quickly for a response "Is now really the time for that?!"

Johnny responded "Aw don't be like that. There's plenty of time for chit-chat." Alex replied "AFTER the battle maybe?! …I-It's not like it's going well anyways. It's complicated. How's May holding up?"

The man was about to answer when Leo approached from the left of Alex and glared Johnny down, asking him "Hey, aren't you the leader of the Jellyfish Pirates?!" Johnny froze up a bit and his sunglasses sunk as he looked at Leo and began stuttering "C-Can't that wait 'til later?"

Leo replied bluntly "NO!" but then seemed to think on that and said "F-Fine. As it turns out I'm need of your services anyways." Johnny, ever the opportunist, smiled and said "Lay it on me."

By this point Bedman got up and seemed to take the alliance of rogues and regality in stride as he revealed he knew the truth of the plan "Aaaa, of course, so you're trying to move the beacon directly on top of the target." Leo then began charging straight at Bedman, who smugly held his head up high and almost had glee in telling his foes "Please, you have no idea what I'm even capable of. You're making me tired…"

Leo lunged off the ground with his arms swung out, his lion-like fangs bearing down his foe as he seemed ready for a powerful attack. However, in the time Bedman spent preparing to defend himself, he wasn't ready for Johnny to leap out from over Leo and draw his sword straight out of his sheath with such force that the air surrounding Bedman was swarmed by hard-hitting slashes of energy.

Bedman couldn't move and was forced to take up defense against the attacks, while Leo hunched over and said confidently "I've figured you out, kid. The further you're going to teleport, the longer the wind-up is! So…Why don't you try your little trick again? My swords are getting thirsty."

Alex followed up on this and swung his arms out, adding fire to Johnny's attacks while saying "And add my fire to the mix, and your situation is looking pretty grim there Bedman." Bedman widened his eyes and exclaimed "Curse you…WHITER!" The boy had a moment of shock before clapping his hands and saying "Ho ho! That made me feel nostalgic! But no use getting hot under the collar, cause soon the rest of you is going to be burning up!"

Johnny, standing beside Alex, shook his head and said "Perhaps we should work on your one-liners next." Meanwhile, Leo swiftly pulled out a small dictionary and opened it up, remarking nonchalantly "Ah, so 'tryhard' hasn't been filled out yet!"

"Oh come on guys!" Alex said in a flabbergasted tone while flailing his arms out.

Bedman grit his teeth and his anger was only growing. Projecting his thoughts to the others, he told them "You think you're so clever do you?! Someone like you is never going to change the outcome of this battle, you're just prolonging the inevitable!" The flames burned closer, but through those embers Bedman's real body had it's eyes widen open with a yellow glow burning inside as he suddenly proclaimed "And your existence is really starting to piss me off!"

Then, this outburst was followed by the purple aura raging around his body, putting out all the flames and making him levitate slightly off the ground. Leo remarked in shock "What the devil is this?!" Alex gripped his sword tightly and said "Oooh yeah…Probably should've mentioned this sooner…"

With Bedman standing in front of them powered up, the trio still had a few minutes to hold him off until the Cradle emerged…

 _Next Time: Assumption Fallacy_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: The Fate Broke Down**

Now that Bedman had been wrapped in that strange aura, along with becoming slightly awake, Alex worried for Leo and Johnny's safety. The boy yelled "Both of you, back off!" while swinging an arm out and taking the lead amongst the three. Johnny held his sheath out to tap Alex's shoulder so he'd look back, where the man would thus tell him with a smile "Relax, will ya? Unless you really think we can't keep up with a bed-ridden child."

His humor in the face of tension this grand was admirable, but perhaps misplaced. Right after that boast, Johnny was greeted by Bedman teleporting beside him with his saw blade seconds from cutting through the man's neck. Leo charged ahead and swung his sword upright to block the weapon, impressively not getting a scratch on it as he managed to push it away.

Bedman leaped off the ground and compressed his limbs into his bed frame as he attempted to press all of his weight down upon his foes. Leo swung his arms out and roared ferociously to Johnny "STAND BACK!" before throwing both his arms into the air and using his blades to keep the frame from squishing them both.

Johnny tipped his hat to his ally and hopped back, reaching into his coat to pull out a bottle of liquor that he flicked up into the air. Then, without even looking, he sharply drew his blade from the sheath and sliced the bottle in half, depositing the liquid upon Bedman's body. Johnny glanced at Alex and asked in good faith "I reckon you know what to do next?"

Leo followed on that by saying "And hurry!" Alex nodded his head and held his gloved hand out with fingers pressed, thinking _"Everyone has something to contribute here…Can't let that go to waste."_ Then, with a snap of his fingers he sent a small spark upon the liquor and caused it to ignite upon Bedman's body.

Bedman screamed "Damn you!" and then warped away from Leo, appearing behind Alex and spinning himself around to break the flames away before he burned. In the meantime he tried to grind Alex down with his saws extended out. The boy walked back and swung his sword out repeatedly to repel the blows.

" _He's lost track of his mission…Now he just wants us all dead."_ Alex thought as he raised a pair of fingers to his ear, yelling into the communicator "Hey doc! How much longer until the Cradle will be here?!"

" _Keep holding Bedman off! We still have a few minutes left!"_ Paradigm replied in a slight panic. Alex grit his teeth and was distracted enough that he swung his sword the wrong way and ended up feeling some pain in his wrist when he struck Bedman's frame. Pushed back, Alex dispelled his sword and raised his fist up while it was covered in electricity.

"Back off already!" He exclaimed before swinging his fist out and managing to slip through the mechanical whirlwind just barely, where his knuckles then connected with the side of the frame and sent Bedman flying back after a burst of electricity shot out. Bedman rolled a couple times against the ground and smashed through a few beacons before getting onto his feet. Alex bit his lower lip and whispered "I-I really need to be paying more attention…"

Leo yelled out to him from behind "Are you PURPOSELY trying to sabotage us?!" Alex shook his head and called his sword back out, leaping forward and then using a burst of speed to get behind Bedman and try to slash into his bed frame. He responded by widening his eyes and a psychic barrier appeared behind himself, blocking Alex's attack. Bedman then turned around and finally punched Alex in the forehead with his wheeled fist.

The boy skidded back and a bit of blood trickled down his forehead, with him swiping it off with his glove. With a glance to the left he then noticed Leo and Johnny coming in for an attack. Summoning and grabbing his sword tightly, Alex slashed out at Bedman and created a compressed blade of air. He summoned another psychic barrier, but this time Alex managed to cut into it. With that opening, Alex leaped out and dug his fingers into the crack and used all his strength to try and break the barrier wide open.

Bedman yelled out "You're out of your mind! But fine, if you want to play that way then I'll just drag you to-" "This is called a distraction, dumbass!" Alex bluntly interrupted while Bedman widened his eyes and finally glanced back, where Johnny used a high-rising kick to knock Bedman into the air. As Alex got away Leo had already leaped high into the air with his weapons crossed in front of his neck. He pinned his blades down onto Bedman's neck and with all his might dragged him straight to the ground.

Leo let go at the last moment so he could be on his feet when Bedman hit the ground and bounced up. Leo then extended his blades out just a bit more and charged at Bedman, slashing at him diagonally and swiftly hitting him a few more times. After making sure to knock him back down he uses both his blades to slash across Bedman's body in an X-shape. Leo turned and made a safe landing on the ground while Johnny picked up after him.

With a slash of his sword straight up, Johnny dragged Bedman down while leaving a trail of fire in his wake. His slashes after created a big flaming "J" in the air that exploded once Johnny sheathed his blade. Bedman, knocked back while briefly on fire, suddenly warped before hitting the ground and levitated himself high above. The machine swung it's arms out and waves of psychic energy lashed down.

The trio's reaction is undetermined as the waves kicked up plumes of dust upon impact. From afar, Shina and Paradigm observed the battle with worry. The Gear nudged his glasses and remarked "Hold out for a little longer…Our emergency beacon is in place, and the Cradle is almost here."

Shina lowered her eyelids and thought _"Bedman got here sooner than he should've, but at least Alex, Leo and Johnny can hold him off for now."_ Clenching a fist against her chest she murmured in a melancholy tone "And once again I can't do anything…"

After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and lightly slapped the sides of her face, telling herself "No, no…There's something I can do!" She turned to look at the center of the battleship armada and held a fist a little higher, and her heart beat fast as she started to shiver.

"I-I just have to wait for the Cradle…Yeah, I can do this…I can!" Shina's word were spoken with the bare minimum of faith, but for now it was enough to placate her sorrow. Suddenly, the whole planet shook, and a massive sphere of red, otherworldly fog started to emerge into the space at the center of the armada.

There was a static in the air that gave goosebumps to those who observed, and Shina in particular widened her eyes with a stilted glare as something began to appear from within the sphere. For the first time, she was face-to-face with the Cradle, and it's presence was more nightmarish than she could've imagined. It was shaped like a gigantic steel fang with a grinning chrome skull near the top. It definitely had a coffin vibe to it though, fitting for what it supposedly housed.

Back on the battle, Bedman paused after parrying some attacks from all sides and looked towards the Cradle, remarking in a surprised tone "Well well, you managed to pinpoint where the Cradle would emerge. Bravo, bravo…but it's simply a waste of time."

Alex lunged at Bedman, but he simply warped away and appeared next to Johnny and Leo. With a spin of his arms he knocked them both to the ground and then remarked "You can't break Absolute Defense: Fellion, you're efforts are comparable to an entire colony of ants attempting to conquer the sun. Face it, your entire fight is just one grand scale suicide attempt. How CAN you live with yourself knowing that?"

He looked to Leo in particular as he said that, but as the man propped himself onto his feet with his swords he said "You know nothing for claiming to be so smart!" He then stood tall and proud and slammed his blades against the ground hard enough to crack it before roaring to his foe "YOU are the ant who is foolishly trying to conquer the sun!"

"As though your attempt to try and turn such a trite metaphor against me means anything. A lion can bellow and roar all it wants but even the largest beast can fall prey to the smallest bullet and if we're using your reversed metaphor for the sake of this argument then you'd be wise to know that there is actually a type of ant called a 'bullet ant'." While Bedman smugly smiled at Leo, he paid no attention to Alex as he went in and put a ton of energy into one slash that cut off one of the frame's arms.

The arm went flying and crashed against the ground, while Bedman turned to Alex and grit his teeth. Alex told him "The fact that Leo and Johnny are willing to stand their ground and fight against you, knowing your power…That makes them braver than a million lions!" Bedman swings his broken arm up and the stray wires weaved out to create a new limb complete with a wheel that swung at Alex's head. "They wouldn't survive if it wasn't for you!" Bedman exclaimed with the utmost arrogance.

Alex charged past the arm and grabbed Bedman by the neck, exclaiming close to his face "You're a fool! I KNOW they would've beaten your ass senseless without my help." Bedman then grinned and said "Ah, I see…So this isn't about you validating your sense of justice, it's about you trying to claim a glory you don't rightfully deserve."

"Says the villain!" Alex exclaimed simply, with Bedman telling him in turn "As though you can fathom the scope of our plan. You're just a wild beast that wants to break everything that gets in his way! I'm trying to SAVE the world!"

"Oh FUCK off and go back to sleep already!" Alex blurted out in frustration before he slammed his other hand against Bedman's face, dragging enough breath from his body to knock him out without permanently damaging him. Then after pulling back he kicked Bedman in the gut and sent him flying away, the aura now broken from his body.

Alex landed and shook his hand out beside his face, murmuring to himself "Saving the world…What a load of shit…" Leo approached Alex from the side and gave a curious glance towards Bedman, questioning "Just what did you do to him?"

Alex folded his arms and replied "I just knocked him out. Now he won't cause us any trouble." Johnny then approached and sheathed his sword, using the sheath as a cane to lean on while pointing up towards the Cradle and saying "So all you gotta do now is break that thing wide open and the problem's solved?"

"That's what I hope." Alex said with a heavy sigh before looking to the right, where he saw Shina looking up at the Cradle. He couldn't see her nervous demeanor from there and quickly yelled out "Shina! It's almost time to grab the artifact!"

Shina jerked her head to the left and stuttered "A-Alright! I'll be ready!" before she looked back up at the Cradle. Johnny looked at Alex and Leo and asked "Wait, Bedman mentioned something about an Absolute Defense. What's up with that?"

Leo folded his arms together and remarked "Apparently, it's a powerful spell that cannot be broken by any means. Paradigm said he had a plan to deal with it, but…" Alex smiled and waved a hand out before mentioning "I don't know, I think that guy might have something to say about that so-called 'Absolute Defense'."

Leo and Johnny looked up at the Cradle and both let out a confused "What the…?!" at what they saw. Floating like a phantom before the Cradle was the Gear Maker himself, Asuka. He stayed cloaked in his robe as he waved his hand out and remarked "It's an honor to meet you, Chronus, although this wasn't exactly how I imagined us meeting."

Leo stammered "Is that Paradigm's trump card?! It's too dangerous up there!" Alex responded with a chuckle "I wouldn't worry about that. That guy kinda laughs in the face of danger. Paradigm might not like me revealing this but…That's the Gear Maker. Or was you know him as 'That Man'."

Leo and even Johnny widened their eyes and exclaimed a flabbergasted "W-WHAT?!" Their shock was they could now provide. This fight had gone far beyond the scope of their capabilities, even though the true insanity of this confrontation had yet to begin.

With Asuka's presence, the Cradle began to fire large plasma beams straight at him, but every beam phased through his body thanks to a magic field he summoned with just a gesture. He was surprisingly polite as he told his foes off "Please, don't waste your time." Inside the dark room within the Cradle, the Conclave sat around the table, with Chronus in particular venting his frustration at this turn of events "Rgh…The Cradle isn't equipped for combat. We won't be able to hurt him."

Yet with an arrogant demeanor the man raised his head and told his enigmatic foe "But you're just as helpless! Even the Gear Maker can't penetrate…" An explosion suddenly shook the Cradle and all the Conclave dropped their hands onto the table to brace themselves until it subsided. Chronus leaned forward and exclaimed "What?!"

On the outside, smoke permeated the thin barrier around the Cradle as Asuka remarked honestly "True…Even I cannot dispel Absolute Defense: Fellion. I do, however, think we can destroy it. Me…and HIM." From the embers of wreckage on the top of the Cradle, Sol came flying through the air towards Asuka, who was ready to catch him with a veil levitation magic when he dropped in front of him.

The former friends turned enemies had been reunited yet again, both of them staring down the common foe that threatened the world. Naturally, Sol had but one thing to say in this situation.

"You son of a bitch!"

Whether his rage was direct towards Asuka or Paradigm or both didn't matter, as Asuka stayed calm and with a swing of his arm out said "Frederick, kindly focus on the matter at hand." With his powers, Asuka created an extremely complex magic seal that he attached to the front of the Absolute Defense.

With a grumble Sol thrust himself at the seal while charging his fist full of fire. "Yeah yeah, I'm already on it!" His punched connected with the center of the seal and the whole barrier rippled brightly. As everyone looks on in sheer awe, the planet's surface trembled from the raw power being forced into the Absolute Defense. At the moment, it didn't even crack.

Alex braced himself with all his might, but his knees started to get weak from the waves of power lashing out across the world. "H-Holy shit…!" Leo stammered in disbelief "W-What the hell is happening?!" The Absolute Defense continued to hold up, making everyone who watched wonder what the hell was even the point of this attack. As though predicting this confusion, Asuka explained through the communication lines "Magic draws power directly from the Backyard, and I'm serving as an intermediary."

"Frederick's fist will carry more energy than anything on this planet is capable of producing." The seal began to shrink down and take on a three-dimensional form as Sol kept pouring power into it. Asuka continued "I convert that energy into matter, and we contain that within a pocket dimension using the Schwarzschild radial limit." The seal itself disappeared and was replaced with what appeared to be a collapsing physical space.

"We then destroy the physical space occupied by the barrier, creating a spontaneous microverse." Even WITH all this, the Absolute Defense did not appear to be budging. Alex grit his teeth and exclaimed "You're out of your mind! One wrong move and…"

"Yes…the world will be destroyed. Of course, it's so simple to take the measures to prevent that." Asuka raised his hands up and seemed to be crafting magic seals to hold the power back from lashing out against the world. His tranquility was the most frightening thing about this whole plan.

Sol put his all into his punch, yelling in pain at the top of his lungs until finally his and Asuka's efforts prevailed and Absolute Defense: Fellion had completely shattered apart. There was a lull across the wasteland for at least thirty seconds. No one could believe that the impossible had become possible, especially not the Conclave.

Chronus limped back into his chair and murmured "I-Impossible…" Axus exclaimed to his partner "Now is the time to use that artifact! We're not ready to-" Chronus held his hand up and said "No! We only need to hold out a little longer…We must save this strange power for Justice."

Outside, Sol fell to the ground on his knees while gripping the side of his body. He was barely able to stand, but his part in this affair was finally over. Over the communication line, Paradigm yelled out to the stunned Leo _"King Leo! Now!"_ Leo shook his head and took an authoritative stance against the Cradle, swinging his arm out and exclaiming to the armada "FIRE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE EVEN AN ATOM OF THIS MONSTROSITY LEFT!"

The ships all lined up to the Cradle and their massive cannons glowed brightly before unleashing their payload of lasers upon the grand machine. The sky was covered by this incredible lightshow of military might, and it was hard to imagine the Cradle surviving this onslaught. Alex grinned and said _"Sweet! Ky managed to get some extra firepower in there after all!"_

He quickly put a hand to his ear and exclaimed "Shina! Get ready to check the wreckage for the artifact piece! We're almost done here…!" Shina didn't move as she looked up at the Cradle, which was being consumed by a cloud of smoke from all the laser fire hitting it. Her heart kept beating fast even as the Cradle appeared to be breaking apart.

"It's not over yet…This amount of firepower still isn't enough…!" She bit her lower lip as the armada finished unloading all it's ammunition. The Cradle was not visible through the smoke, and again silence draped the battlefield with an added uneasiness to it's presence. Alex kept still and hoped for there to be nothing beyond the smoke. Those hopes were all he could rely on, for he could not recognize what the Cradle was made of.

Then, there was suddenly an echoing declaration from the familiar voice of Chronus "I always knew you'd be our worst enemy, Gear Maker…" Alex grit his teeth and tensed up, with Leo murmuring in a tone of shock "No way! How could they have survived?!"

The smoke began to fade, but the shadow that rested behind it was not shaped like the Cradle anymore. Chronus declared in absolute victory "But we've survived your attack, which means we win!" The smoke was blown away all at once by a storm of space warping black and crimson electricity. Standing in the area the Cradle once existed was a truly colossal monstrosity.

It was a white robot with slender legs taller than a skyscraper, and arms just as long draped down from two gigantic blue shoulder cannons with orange lens. It's midsection was shaped like a female human's, but it's neck was pale and boney. It had a thick curved tail that was motionless as it limped onto the ground. Finally there was it's head, which had the pointed ears of a jackal, no eyes to speak of, and a sealed fanged mouth. This monstrosity, which stood tall amongst the heavens, truly deserved it's title of God of Destruction.

Sol stood quite far from it's feet but still had to lift his head to look at it's face, his only expression being one of scowling disgust. Everyone else save for Alex looked up at Justice in fear, with Leo stammering "T-This is Justice?! I thought she was smaller!" Even Johnny was scared, his knees trembling as he was left speechless at the sight of Justice.

Alex thought _"So this is how it is then…"_ His eyes widened fiercely and a wave of power burst forth from his body. He gripped his fists tightly and started to walk towards Justice, with Leo swinging his arm out and exclaiming "What are you-" "LEO! Full retreat, right now! Any of you stick around and you'll be caught in the blast radius!" Alex interrupted with a fully authoritative voice.

Leo widened his eyes in disbelief until Johnny remarked "I get the feeling the kid's got something up his sleeve. Lets listen to him for now." Leo quickly pulled up his communicator and said "Fall back everyone! Send some ships to pick us up, now!"

Alex made his way towards Justice, picking up the pace while raising his gloved hand to his face and thinking _"I'm not letting this madness go on any longer. History changes…NOW!"_ The boy started to murmur to the glove "Recognize Password: Lumina an-" Before he could finish his sentence, Bedman suddenly warped in front of him and stabbed the spikes on his wheels into Alex's arms.

The boy grit his teeth out of anger more than pain and exclaimed "B-Bastard! How are you still moving?!" Bedman's frame began to release a dimensional field to cover the two of them, and the mental image of Bedman spoke to him "You're far too dangerous to keep around. It's time to bury you within my Nightmare Theater where you'll never escape again!"

Alex swung his other hand into his pocket and touched the Gaia Temporis, exclaiming as he activated it "I don't have time for this!" Suddenly, the dimensional field shattered and Bedman was forced back, with the boy wobbling backwards and blood trickling down his arms. Bedman declared "W-What the hell are you?!" before suddenly warping away.

The boy tried to raise his gloved hand up, but his nerves being shot from the spikes piercing his flesh prevented that. Gritting his teeth, Alex looked up and saw Justice leaning forward, the same dimensional sphere that signified the Cradle's teleportation into the Backyard suddenly expanded out from the center of the monstrosity.

"D-Damn it…! Should've just killed the bastard earlier…!" Alex looked up and saw Bedman appearing again in front of Asuka, and a moment later Asuka is taken away to Bedman's Nightmare Theater. The last person who could've stopped Justice from escaping had been captured, and the hope the plan's supposed success created had been washed away in a wave of despair.

The boy lowered his head and cracked an unhinged laugh before laying a hand on the side of his head and remarking "F-Forget about it…! I just need to get Shina and retreat to-" He looked to the right and saw Shina walking straight towards Justice. She appeared to be in an unbreakable trance, and from here he couldn't hear her melancholy murmuring "I-I have to go…after it…"

"Son of a bitch…! SHINA, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Alex found himself screaming in vain as she didn't even budge. The sphere to the Backyard was growing larger and larger, swallowing some of the ships before they could turn around and escape. Alex knew that it was only a matter of seconds before Shina would be swallowed into the Backyard, and without a second of thought he suddenly leaped off the ground and charged at her.

Curving his flight, Alex just missed hitting the sphere as he rammed his shoulder into Shina's stomach and pushed her into the air. He couldn't hold back, which had the unfortunate result of making her cough up some air, but at the same time it seemed to end her trance. As Alex mustered the strength in his arms to wrap them around her, she dug her nails into his shoulders and yelled out "LET ME GO! WE NEED TO GO AFTER THE ARTIFACT!"

Alex responded "ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU CAN'T SURVIVE THE BACKYARD! I CAN'T SURVIVE IT! NOT EVEN SOL CAN-" Suddenly he looked back and upon seeing Sol still kneeling on the ground exclaimed "Shit! I forgot about Sol!"

Thankfully, he was dragged away from danger by the sudden appearance of Elphelt. The Valentine kept the man held under his shoulder and moved to catch up with Alex in a matter of seconds. Sol was currently expressing the same frustrations as Shina as he yelled out "Damn it all! Let me go!"

"No!" Elphelt exclaimed defiantly, before Sol told him "I said, let me GO!" He could only yell, his body was too weak to even make Elphelt flinch with his punches. The Valentine shook her head and once again exclaimed "I refuse! Even if you go in there and beat Justice you'll never make it back out! Then you'll never see your friends again! I can't let you do that!"

There were tears in her eyes as she finished, and upon looking at those Sol grit his teeth and shut up instantly. His complaints were replaced with Shina's as she punched Alex on the back repeatedly and exclaimed "Let me go let me go LET ME GO! We need to go in, we have no choice but to go in!"

Alex didn't know what to say or do. He could only painfully listen to Shina's cries as the four of them escaped the reach of the Backyard's incursion. When it's range had maximized, the sphere collapsed all at once without a sound, and Justice had vanished. Now, who knows what could be done to stop the Conclave's plans…

 _Next Time: The Value of Life_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Curtain Call**

Chaos ensued across the world after word leaked that Justice had been revived. Those who had survived those gruesome Crusades took this news as an apocalyptic sign and either ran away with their families, praying for safety…Or took their own lives to save Justice the trouble. The governments had to act fast to provide protection for their people in the form of the Opus soldiers, gifted by the Sanctus Maximus herself.

With all this widespread panic, it took about a day before those who knew the truth of Justice's revival the most could gather back in the Illyrian Castle. They went to the castle's war room, which had a few massive monitors scanning the world for signs of Justice's return. Those who had gathered here included Sol, Alex, Leo, Sin, Shina, and Elphelt. At the center of them all was Paradigm, who currently only stared with a perturbed look at his book.

Sol and Alex leaned on opposite sides of the curved wall in between the two staircases with their arms folded and a solemn, disappointed look on their faces. Alex took the occasional glance over at Shina, who was absolutely frozen with dejection as she sat on the staircase. There was no life in her eyes, and not even a finger twitched on her body. It was a miracle that she even made it here.

Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Alex could hear the heavy pattering of rain drops outside, cursing this unnecessary addition to this already too melancholic atmosphere. Paradigm finally lifted his head up and looked around, commenting to his gatherers "Has anyone seen the King?" Sin, somehow mustering a small smile in these trying times, responded "Ky's ordering the soldiers to try and help calm the panic outside. Not that it'll do much good…"

"His response is admirable at least. But very well, we shall start without him…" Paradigm closed his book and put it under his shoulder. He then floated over to the monitors and pressed a button, turning on a communication line to a presidential office. On the other line was not Zepp, however, but a bald black man wearing a regal tuxedo.

Paradigm glanced back to Alex and Shina and said "Alex, Shina, this is the current President of the United States, Vernon." The man tensely rested his hands under his chin and remarked _"If only we could have been introduced under better circumstances. Your help in this incident has been much appreciated."_ He had a deep voice but carried a kind authority in his tone.

"Hmmm…" Alex didn't have much to say beyond a hum, and Shina had even less. Vernon nodded his head and looked down at Paradigm. The Gear gestured his hand out and said "Now that we are all here, let us begin."

Leo laid a hand on his chin and remarked disappointingly "Our plan to stop Justice has failed." Paradigm added onto that "Indeed…for all our efforts, we're back to square one yet again." There was a melancholic pause for a few seconds before Leo chimed in to mention "We can't stay here and let this offset get us down. Now that we know their methods of travel, we can simply-"

"You overestimate the ease of such actions, King Leo. Our plan was an ambush. It won't work a second time. They are perceptive enough now to change their trajectory of re-emergence." Paradigm rubbed his rough beard and remarked "Not to mention, we are unable to gather that many beacons now."

Leo hung his head and decided to think about things some more. As he did so, Vernon remarked _"Doctor. I have no doubt, that WAS Justice. She looked exactly the same as the last time I saw her…during the Crusades. I have to wonder where the Conclave is planning to activate her…"_

Paradigm replied "I've been pondering that very same thing. As far as I can tell, she has not yet been activated. I suspect that means they must first move her to a facility which is capable of activating her." Sol added into the conversation "If they're going to activate her, they're going to need a whole lotta juice to do so."

Paradigm perked his head up and said in an intrigued tone "Frederick, are you feeling better?" Sol turned his head and scoffed "I ain't made of glass." He then glared at Elphelt and bluntly told her "If you hadn't stopped me, I could've destroyed Justice in the Backyard!"

Elphelt hung her head and murmured "S-Sorry…" Sin then stood in front of her and swung his arm out, calling out Sol "Uh, maybe tone it down? El saved your life. Why the hell do you have to be such a jerk?!" Much to his dismay though, Sol looked away and changed subjects "I wasn't totally sold on all this until I saw Justice myself."

"But if they've found a way to revive her, reactivating a bio-weapon requires a shitload of energy and a facility to harness it." After hearing that, Leo looked at Sol and remarked "Wait, doesn't that make this easy then? The facility they intend to use has to be within the radius of their maximum movement, so we just identify it and wait for them to show up."

Paradigm shook his head and gave his rebuttal "No, the amount of energy we're speaking of far exceeds what anything in this era can generate…" Alex leans his head back against the wall and with a sigh thinks _"That artifact might have enough energy…but it didn't activate when Justice did. Something's fishy there, but…"_

"Do you have something to say, Alex?" Paradigm casually addressed, and the boy shook his head and remarked "I'm as clueless as the rest of you. If we could just figure out their plan…"

Elphelt suddenly started moving towards the staircase, and everyone focused their eyes on her until Sol remarked "And just where do you think you're going?" The Valentine turned and said "I'm going to talk to Ram. She might know what to do…"

Sol closed his eyes and asked bluntly "That so?" Elphelt gave the man a sincere stare and told him "I don't know…but if I don't try, then it might actually be the end of the world!" Sol paused for a little bit and then poignantly asked "What exactly does the world mean to you?"

Elphelt was caught by surprised by this inquiry and Sol only added to this confusion by accusing her emotions "You were just born. How the hell could you know anything about this world?" Sin yelled out "Hey!" but Sol brushed him off firmly "The question's for her, not you, idiot."

Elphelt clutched her hands close to her chest and murmured her gathering thoughts. When she was ready, the expression of her feelings was full of bliss "You're right, I might not really be able to say what the world's really like…But my world is Ram, and a-all of you guys…! I don't want to lose that. I mean…nobody's ever said I was their friend before!"

As she declared that, one could look into her eyes and see them start to water. There was no faking that commitment to what she had, and it seemed even Sol realized that. "Hmph…Good enough."

The Valentine smiled and then ran off, while Vernon remarked _"Well…I must attend to the riots around the world. Let me know if you find out anything new, Doctor."_ Paradigm nodded his head and the monitor turned back to the scanners. Alex pulled away from the wall and rubbed the back of his head, saying to the others "Well…since we blew our chance to get the artifact you'll still have our help at least. Frankly, they say third time's the charm but…we'll be lucky to even get one of those."

Alex starts to turn towards Shina but suddenly finds himself assaulted with a hard slap across the left cheek, which had enough force to make his chin touch his shoulder and push his body back a little. When the boy composed himself he rubbed the sore spot on his cheek and looked up to see Shina with an utterly livid looking in her eyes as she kept her arm held out. Sin ran forward and said "Hey hey, what are you doi-"

"Sin, SHUT UP!" Alex exclaimed as he stood as upright as he could and faced Shina, saying with an expectant grumble "I knew this was coming…" By the time he had finished rubbing his cheek with an icy palm, Shina had already put her fists beside her hips before stating "We shouldn't even be making a second attempt at this…"

Widening her eyes with a maddened and somewhat depressed expression, she yelled out to Alex "Why didn't you do anything about Justice before they had a chance to escape?!" The boy folded his arms against his chest and turned his body, telling her angrily "Figures you spent all this time trying to find some way to pin this all on me. Well guess what? You don't get to pull that shit this time Shina. I DID try to stop Justice, but Bedman got in my way and I lost my opening. I HAD a plan, unlike your half-assed one."

Shina roughly shakes her head and exclaimed "T-That…I-I had a plan! You should've gone along with it instead of being so scared!" Alex glanced to the left slightly and said "Oh, is that so?" Tilting his head to the right the boy raised his eyes up and faked recollection in his tone "Cause, hmm…correct me if I'm wrong here…Oh right, it was YOU who looked ready to drop to her knees in fear even as you were oh so BRAVELY going towards the Backyard."

Alex held his hands out and sarcastically clapped them, followed by bombastically proclaiming "Please, everyone! A round of applause for the hero Shina Aurora, savior of her race!" Shina grit her teeth and with watery eyes and a face burning red, she muttered to him "You are being such an…ASS!"

Alex firmly clapped his hands shut and lowered them before his waist, a dull look in his eyes for just a brief moment before he turned his head and angrily declared "Shut! UP!" This stunned Shina for a moment as Alex then clenched his gloved fist and lambasted her with a burning rage "You may not like how I'm behaving, well tough shit, cause I'm in the same boat!"

With a blunt gesture of his pointer finger, Alex asked the flabbergasted Shina "I shouldn't have to keep reminding you of this. You get only one chance at having a family Shina, and you sure as hell intended to waste that chance yesterday!" Shina's lips quivered before she muttered a response "I-I think my aura-!"

"You THINK or you KNOW? Do you seriously think your aura would stand up to a realm composed of crushing information? SOL could barely survive in that realm, what makes you think you're any more special than him?!" Alex stamped both of his feet down as he turned his body to fully face Shina, and his tone just got more merciless.

"This isn't a video game Shina, this is reality! You are no heroine, and I'm sure as hell no hero! We're just two people TRYING to do something good! …I thought you were smarter than this, Shina."

The boy closed his eyes for a moment and let out a tired sigh while catching his breath, and during that Shina's anger reached a boiling point where she went for another slap. Without a drastic shift in posture, Alex swung his right pinky up and blocked the slap with a poke in the palm. He then opened his eyes and saw as Shina bit her lower lip deeply while tears strained themselves through her eye ducts.

Glancing away with a tired look on his face, Alex murmured "Look at you, swinging at me like a child throwing a tantrum." He looked her in the eyes and bluntly remarked "We can't cling to childish things anymore Shina. The world demands too much of us right now."

Shina, midway through his words, lowered her head and started whimpering "I-I just don't know…" Alex paused and let her continue "I just don't know how much time it'll take us to get the rest of the artifact pieces…E-Every day counts and I-I-I…" Shina gripped her hand around Alex's pinky and he started to feel her body shaking. With his heart beating slowly, he watched as she murmured out to him "I-I don't know what I am without my family…"

Alex closed his eyes and pulled his pinky away, and as Shina clenched her fists against her chest he muttered "Shina…" Her attention was gotten just briefly, but what Alex did next took everyone off-guard. He quickly slammed his forehead into hers with a ferocious expression, and then Shina swiftly stumbled back onto her rear with her hands resting on the front of the lowest stair step.

She gripped the carpet in the step tightly and lifted her head up, confusion replacing her sadness as she looked Alex in the eyes and couldn't muster a word. Alex grips his fists tightly against his hips and said "I don't know where you get the balls to say something like that to me…"

Raising his head up high, Alex had a painstakingly livid look in his eyes as he exclaimed "I haven't had a family for the greater half of my life! And you know what? It hurts, it hurts a damn lot! I don't get to go home to a family after all this boils over! I don't get new memories with them, I don't get anything!"

Jerking his head down hard, Alex grits his teeth and muttered "No one else I know should ever, EVER have to experience the same thing I did…"

With a rough swing of his head up, he yelled poignantly "And don't you think your family would feel the same damn way if you died?! You get one of them, and they only get one of you! They don't want to see you dead… **I** don't want to see you dead!"

He then closed his eyes temporarily and caught his breath, then he said to Shina more calmly "…A wise man once said 'My world is the one where you exist! I won't let ANYBODY take that away from me!'"

Sol perked his head up at that imitated gruffness in Alex's voice, and the boy knew that man was staring at him piercingly. Even so, Alex clenched his fists even tighter and said "You have to follow those words Shina. If you have any chance of keeping that precious world of yours alive, then you need a bravery as strong as true as those heroes you admire. Then you can fight with all your heart, and nobody will be able to stop you from saving your family…Not Justice, not Gravitus…Not even me."

Alex turned around and put his loosened hands in his pockets, a heavy weight in his heart as he finished his triad off with "…But that requires you to grow up, Shina Aurora. That world of yours isn't going to wait patiently anymore for that."

Shina didn't say a thing as she scrambled to her feet and turned around. She tripped on the first step and fell flat on her face, the rough carpet digging into her skin a little and leaving a red rash there. She got to her feet again and this time was able to successfully run out of the room, the sounds of her rampant footsteps fading mere seconds later. The room was left in silence and Alex pulled his head back, letting out a deep sigh as he muttered "That was so goddamn tiring, but…"

He turned his head just in time for Sol to grab his shirt and forcibly slam him against a wall. Alex let himself be held in place as the man looked him in the eyes with an ire that hadn't been seen before. Sin once more called out "Oh come on! This isn't the time for us to be-" but Sol bluntly yelled out "Take your peace-and-love bullshit somewhere else Sin! This is between me and him!"

Leo drew his swords and roared at Sol with authority "You may be our ally Sol, but I will use force if necessary!" Sol turned his head and told him "Save it for our actual enemy!" He looked back at the boy with a fierce glare, and a puzzled Leo lifted his head up and murmured "Alex? You must be joking."

"Do I look like I'm in a joking mood?!" Sol clenched his fist tightly and pressed it against Alex's chest, but the boy didn't change his expression and told him honestly "Yeah…This was a long time coming, wasn't it? Might as well do it now when-"

"Shut up! I'll be the one doing the talking!" Sol exclaimed, followed by him dragging Alex close to his face and whispering angrily "How the HELL could you possibly have known about _that_?" He set his fist on fire and remarked more vocally "And don't try and pull a fast one, unless you want to become charcoal."

Alex widened his eyes and said "Fine, you want to know the truth?" The boy looked over Sol and said "Sorry Paradigm, kinda have to throw you under the bus here." Paradigm nudged his glasses and grumbled "We were going to have this discussion regardless…Continue."

Alex looked down at Sol and said "When I got that summons from Paradigm to come to Illyria, it wasn't to meet him. It was to see That Man. He tested how much he could trust me by having me fight his two subordinates, and afterwards he showed me his true face, told me his name, and told me the story of the three of you. That's how I know of that quote."

Sol clenched his fist tightly and said "What the hell are you talking about? That bastard wasn't around when I said that!" Alex widened his eyes and muttered "W-What are you talking about! He had to have been, how else would he be able to tell…"

Alex raised his head up and his confidence went meek, his pupils shrinking as he recalled what Asuka had told him. _"T-That being following us around…they know the history of this world and filled in the blanks for him! Damn it, was this their plan all along?!"_ Sol increased the intensity of heat on his fist and said "I told you not to play games with me! Tell me the truth, or I'll burn a hole through your chest!"

" _Shit! Now what am I supposed to do?! I can't waste time fighting Sol or we're both going to be out of energy for Justice…But if that truth wasn't good enough, then do I have no choice but to…"_ Alex closed his eyes and let out a slight gulp. He then relaxed himself and let out a sigh, followed by him saying "…No, no more holding back. You've already had enough secrets withheld from you, Sol."

Alex opened his eyes and said "I can't just straight up tell you exactly how it is I know what I know, but it's not like I just know about your past." The boy looked at those gathered and said "For example…I know Leo is afraid of his sister."

Leo widened his eyes and stammered "N-Now that's not tr-" Alex looked to Paradigm and remarked "I know you once had an air bubble around your body until Sin suggested you use magic to give yourself the ability to breathe without it."

Paradigm nudged his glasses and didn't say a word, with Alex then looking at Sin and telling him "And I know you're the son of Ky and Dizzy, and you're a half-Gear with incredible power hidden behind that eye patch." Sin's mouth was left agape as Alex then looked down at Sol and told him "Just because I know these things doesn't mean I can just reveal them all willy-nilly. It's suspicious enough as is that I'm even here."

Sol lowered his head with a scowl and then said "You think I give a shit about your random facts?" He then looked Alex in the eyes and said "You KNEW where that bastard was when you came back to Zepp. And yet you hid that from me…from all of us, knowing damn well that this whole mess was his fault!"

"Yes, I did know." Alex said without a hint of resistance. Sol then exclaimed to him while jerking his body against the wall "And you expect us to trust you?! How much else do you know?!"

"…" Alex raised his brows for an effectively piercing glare before replying to Sol "I get it Sol, I really do. You've spent so much time searching for the truth, and then some shit-faced brat comes along and seems to know everything. There's a truth I want to find out myself, but…"

The boy closed his eyes and admitted "It's really not that important now…But you have to trust me. Someday soon, you probably will find out the truth of what happened to Aria from Asu-" Sol suddenly exclaimed "Goddamn it!" and threw his fist out, grazing the side of Alex's face and smashing a crater into the wall.

Twisting his fist as he pulled it free, Sol mentioned to Alex angrily "You don't have the right to say their names! Especially that bastard's…! It's because of him that I am this…this monster!" For a moment, there was grief in the man's voice, and it was not Alex's attempt to make light of that when he replied "Yeah, I get that too…"

"How the hell could you possib-"

"There's a voice in your head that constantly bugs you, telling you that it's better just to burn the world down instead of continuing to deal with its bullshit." Alex whispered that, and for a brief moment Sol's anger subsided. The boy closed his eyes and said "Truth be told, for all the shit I gave Shina, I'm just as big a coward as she is. I'm always running from that monster inside of me, cause maybe if I do it'll never catch up…"

With a chuckle after, the boy said "You know, we're too damn stubborn to admit it Sol but…we're not too different, you and I…" Sol paused for a few seconds and then let go of Alex, turning around and grabbing the back of his neck, giving it a few good cracks before muttering "Getting sick of this shit…I'm going for a walk."

Sol headed up the stairs, and Alex grabbed his chest and let out a sigh of relief. _"I'm really just making nothing but enemies today…Next thing I know even Ky'll be on my case."_ A moment later, that regal voice of Ky's spoke directly towards the boy "Alex? Where is Sol off to?"

Alex muttered a "Shit" before looking at Ky and saying with a nervous glance away "W-We had a bit of an argument. He's just going to blow off some steam…" Ky didn't even make it to the bottom of the stairs before letting out a sigh and replying "…I'll go check up on him. This really isn't the best time for us to split up…"

He turned around and went after Sol, and Alex looked out towards the others and their vacant stares before leaning against the wall and saying "If you guys got anything to get off your chests, now would be the time." Sin raised his hand up and remarked "U-Uhhh…You wouldn't happen to know any uhhh…embarrassing secrets, right?"

Alex looked at Sin and told him "There's nothing wrong with having a teddy bear for comfort Sin." Sin let out a sigh of relief and murmured "Oh great, that's all you know…" Afterwards, the war room fell into a deep silence for quite some time. Sol and Ky eventually returned, but didn't say a word. There were no signs of Shina coming back, but Alex wasn't in a rush to find her anytime soon.

Eventually, footsteps broke the silence in the room, and everyone's attention focused on the stairs as Ramlethal started walking down them. Leo widened his eyes and looked at Ky, telling him "Ky! Have you lost your…?! Gah, we've already had enough inner spats for one day…"

Ky gestured towards Ramlethal and remarked "Please, go ahead." Ramlethal gave a small nod and then began to explain "You have been looking for an answer to where Justice will get it's power. You have had the answer the entire time…or rather, you're close to it."

Sin's eyes lit up as he exclaimed "You're talking to us now?!" Sol widened his eyes a bit and said "Son of a bitch…Sin's touchy-feely bullshit actually worked…?" He then looked Ramlethal straight on and asked "Well? Where're they going? We can't think of any place that can generate the kind of juice they'd need. Maybe That Man's lab, but…"

"They aren't going to generate anything. They're going to harness an existing source. It's simple, really. Just think…What time is it?" When Ramlethal said that, Sol at first muttered "What the hell does that…"

He widened his eyes a little in realization and then stated bluntly "Of course…St. Elmo's Fire!" Leo and Ky were confused until Paradigm exclaimed "My goodness! Yes, St. Elmo's Fire would definitely have enough energy to activate Justice!"

Ky turned to the Gear and asked "Interesting…but how would it be done?" Paradigm pondered that matter "Mmm, it would require and impressive facility just to capture the energy and channel it into Justice…"

It was not one of the many brilliant minds in this room that provided the answer, but rather the dim-witted Sin who nonchalantly suggested "You mean like Illyria Castle?" Everyone looked at him with a bit of surprise, Ky in particular unable to resist the urge to smile proudly as his son said "I mean, it's a lightning rod right? I didn't get what it was about, but…"

"That's it! That's what we need to defeat Justice!" Paradigm exclaimed. Sol gestured a hand out and mentioned "You actually got some shit cooking in that brain of yours finally?" Paradigm smugly smiled and waved a claw out, looking towards Ky and remarking "As it just so happens…There's a certain someone I'm going to need to help us put an end to Justice for good."

 _Next Time: Our Purpose_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Reunion**

An hour later, the city of Illyria was bustling with activity. The call for evacuation had been sent out and it's citizens were scrambling desperately to escape. Leo was leading the evacuation with the help of the Opus and the soldiers stationed around the city, even his soaking wet body didn't deter his determination for a second.

"Come on! This is no time for hesitation! Get out while you still can!" He roared with all his might and concern, and the people listened with hope in their hearts that everything would be alright. He yelled out to the soldiers "Empty the castle and the city! Leave just the Opuses behind!"

Inside the castle, Alex, Sol, Ky and Sin were with Paradigm overlooking what was happening on the war room's monitors. Sol waved a hand out and remarked with the best compliment he could muster "So the lion's not bad at leading the herd, who would've thought?"

Paradigm commented in turn, "Indeed, Frederick. I too am personally impressed with King Leo's efforts. Now we must make some of our own." He waved a claw out, looking towards Alex and Sol in particular. "Let us go over the plan one more time," he then said.

"This is our last chance to stop the Conclave. Ramlethal has told us that the energy-conversion device they have set up is in the west wing of the castle. That is likely where Justice will appear."

Ky remarked "To think they'd use the church for such a vile purpose…" before Paradigm politely interrupted him with a cough. The Gear was not allowed to continue, to his frustration, as Sin swung his fist out and remarked so simply "Cool! We can just smash that tower to bits and be done with it!"

Sol swung his fist against the back of Sin's head and yelled "Dumbass, weren't you listening?!" As Sin rubbed the sore spot Paradigm quickly continued "I appreciate the observation Sin, but if we destroyed the tower then that would leave the city defenseless from St. Elmo's Fire. It would only create more problems."

Alex stepped out from the crowd to draw Paradigm's attention, and when the doctor had laser-focused onto him he remarked "I could always repel St. Elmo's Fire." Paradigm shook his head and responded "No, we need the device intact for our plan to succeed."

"Then what ARE we going to do?" Sin inquired grumpily. Paradigm nudged his glasses and responded with equal grumpiness "If you would let me finish, you would know." As it's not too often the doctor loses his patience, Sin sealed his lips tight and leaned back to listen.

"I had intended to forgo stopping Justice's physical activation. You see, Chronus' ultimate goal is to activate Justice and then bind his soul to that vessel. This sort of binding also requires a great deal of energy, so they will likely try to do them both at once. Chronus's body is already within Justice."

Sol chimed in with a bit of a smile "Makes sense." Paradigm nodded his head and continued "Exactly. Therefore, I propose we amplify the energy from St. Elmo's strike, and overload the system!"

Clenching his fist, Sol raised it before his chest and remarked "In other words, we're going to barbeque the Conclave." Ky nodded his head and remarked "Then everything is in order, right?"

Paradigm answered that sudden question with a nonchalant "Yes" before Ky gave a gentle bow and replied with some slight relief in his voice "Thank you, Paradigm. Lets go Sin." Ky turned around and began ascending the staircase. A puzzled Sin stammered "W-Wait, Ky!" before following after him.

Sol looked to the doctor and inquired "What are they doing?" In response Paradigm told him happily "I have simply taken measures to ensure the amplification of St. Elmo's Fire goes off without a hitch."

Raising his brows, Sol replied "Look birdbrain, if you're trying to amp up St. Elmo's Fire, you gotta generate that extra umph somehow, and you and me know I'm the man for that job."

"I would've considered that, but then I would have no one capable of removing Chronus from Justice. That is something only you can do."

Alex then casually raised a hand up from the fold before his chest, but Paradigm quickly responded "And Alex, you must be in position to infiltrate Justice and grab that artifact piece from the Conclave, correct?" The boy jokingly replied "Geez, when did you become a mind reader like Bedman?"

"Hahaha…" Paradigm heartily laughed before telling him wisely "Think of what we're doing as something similar to filling a balloon with too much air. When Frederick makes this particular balloon 'burst', however, I cannot imagine anything within or around it being intact afterwards."

"…Right, wouldn't want the artifact piece to be destroyed, though I doubt it's as paper-thin as you think it is. Though speaking of collateral, you DID tell Ky about this, right?"

Paradigm blinked a couple times and then turned around, likely to hide his embarrassment. "…We'll discuss that matter later. I would not want to ruin the King's happiness." Sol raised his brows in intrigued and asked "What are you blabbering on about now?"

The doctor looked back and remarked "I will let you discover that for yourself. For now, you should be making your way to the tower where Justice will appear."

"Hmrph…alright." With that uncaring brush off Sol turned and went up the stairs. Alex was about to do the same when Paradigm floated up behind him and remarked quietly "Have you had any luck in finding Shina?"

Closing his eyes briefly and letting out a sigh, the boy honestly replied "Forget about it. Either she'll show up, or she won't." He shook his head and gestured a hand out. "It's the same old shit as before. She's always like this."

"You should have more faith. All living things have the ability to change."

"I'm living proof to the contrary." Mumbling dully, Alex shook his head again and then slowly left the room, leaving Paradigm to sigh at the boy's self-loathing view of himself.

In another part of the castle, Shina wandered around by her lonesome. Her head was hung the entire time she had been moving around and she thus had no clue where she had ended up. Her eyes looked a little dry and her mouth stayed partially agape. She was so quiet that the only thing in her thoughts were the echoes of her footsteps across the tile floors.

"… _I see. The seal is already broken then…?"_

Then a whisper came into her ears from a doorway to the left. She slowly lifted her head up and found herself drawn towards the voice. Leaning in just barely past the frame of the door, Shina peered into what seemed to be the castle's library, as thousands of books and scrolls lined the shelves on the walls. A ray of moonlight gleamed into the room through the stained glass as two figures standing across from each other basked perfectly in it's glow.

Ky was the one who stood on the left, while the person before him was a woman of indescribable beauty. Her pristine blue hair draped down to her knees, which was surprising considering some of it was already tied up in yellow ribbons on the sides of her head. She wore a black gown with belts around her waist an a buttoned shirt-like panel underneath to cover up part of her chest. Belted straps cover the top of her chest, and her puffy sleeves were mostly detached from her shoulders. The reptilian, ribbon wrapped tail sticking out of her rear and the cloth draped wings did nothing to detract from the pure, maiden-like demeanor this woman had.

Her subdued, tender voice only added to that image as she laid a hand on her chest and told Ky "Yes, I was hoping our reunion wouldn't be, well, like this…" Even with a lace of regret in her tone, the woman was able to crack a smile.

Ky and this woman then wrapped their arms around each other in a soft embrace. As far as Shina could tell, the 'how' mattered not to Ky. "The circumstances are of no consequence. What matters to me is that we were able to see one another…perhaps for the last time."

With her blushing face nestled against his chest, the woman said in a lightly humored tone "Your hair has gotten so long…"

"Yes, well…Lately it just keeps growing, no matter how much I cut it."

Shina felt the urge to chuckle at their little exchange, but her heart was too melancholy to allow her to do so.

Off to the side, Sin stood with hands behind his head and couldn't help but let out a groan. "Seriously?! This is the best you can do?! You haven't seen each other in HOW long, again?"

The woman lifted her head up and the moment she looked at Sin let out a gasp of shock. "S-Sin, is that you?" Embarrassed, the boy replied "U-Uh yeah…? I mean I can't blame ya for not recognizing me. I did grow three feet in the last two years…"

The woman's response was not one of sorrow for the years she missed, but of absolute pride towards her son's appearance, "You've grown into such a man…Come here, let me take a look at you." As she pulled away from Ky, she would find herself surprised at Sin's quick response of "I'd rather not…"

"…I'm gonna beat this thing, no matter what! I'm not gonna let this be the last time we see each other, Mom. So why don't you let Ky…" With a pause in thoughts, Sin pulled his hands away and turned to his parents. "Heh…I guess this is that moment El was talking about, huh…"

Ky raised his brows in puzzlement until his son stated "Why don't you let Dad take care of you this time? …Dad, huh…" Afterwards, a father like him could only crack a joyous smile at hearing such words for the first time in a long while.

Observing such a heartwarming scene only made Shina's heart feel heavier, and with a dry sigh she pulled away from the door and slumped down. "At least he has the strength to make good on his word…" She raised her trembling right hand up before her face and then in frustration clenched it into a fist and muttered "I-I'm really just nothing but a burden now…"

Upon hearing footsteps getting closer, Shina quickly stood up and held herself as hard as she could against the wall to avoid being seen as the Kiske family left the library. Ky and Sin started sprinting to the left while the woman waved them off, resting her hands before her chest in prayer and murmuring "Please…bless them with an angel for protection…"

She turned around and started to slowly walk away when her tail brushed against the front of Shina's legs. With a surprised murmur, the woman looked back and caught the girl grasping her hands against the side of the wall and still trying tensely to avoid being seen, an effort that has now been blown entirely. The woman laid her hands before her waist and remarked "I didn't think there'd be anyone left in the castle."

Tilting her head she gave a gentle apology "Actually…I'm sorry, but I don't think I've seen someone like you working at the castle before. Are you a friend of Ky's?" Shina averted her gaze from the woman as she pulled away from the wall, and she didn't even accept her extended hand in greeting.

The woman slowly pulled it away and inquired honestly "Does my appearance bother you?" Shina swiftly shook her head and answered with a dry rasp in her voice "N-No…you're beautiful. Y-You just shouldn't be wasting your time."

"Wasting? There's no waste in speaking to someone new, especially one with a kind aura as yours."

Shina widened her eyes and gasped "Y-You can sense aura too?" The woman chuckled and responded with her hand out again "My name is Dizzy. You are?"

The girl looked into Dizzy's red eyes and recognized a motherly warmth radiating from them. With a tense pause, Shina weakly held her hand out and said "I-I'm Shina Aurora. I guess…I-I'm one of Sin's friends?"

"So Sin has made some friends? I'm so glad to hear that…" As Dizzy shook Shina's hand, she let out a sigh of relief. Then she blinked a couple times and murmured "Shina…Shina…Oh!"

She lifted her head up and remarked in a merry tone "So you're one of the two who has been helping my family recently. Paradigm filled me in on what's happened since I was sealed."

"B-But I haven't even…I-I-I…"

With a gentle bow of the head, Dizzy remarked "Thank you…I truly wish I could've been there for them." Shina swiftly swung her head left to right and back again while blurting out "I didn't even do anything!"

She pulled her hand away from Dizzy and told her bluntly "All I've managed to do is sit around and then almost get myself killed!" Her cry echoed through the hallway, yet Dizzy did not flinch and instead inquired politely "You were trying to get something important from the body of Justice before it escaped to the Backyard, correct?"

"…I-It's the piece to an artifact that will lead us to something capable of saving my people from a terrible monster."

Dizzy nodded her head and continued "And your efforts were stopped by the boy named Alex Whiter. You are lucky to have a friend that cares so much for your well-being."

"I never asked him to do that! I'm older than him, I-I can take of myself!"

"Experience speaks more than age." Dizzy laid a hand on her chest and remarked with a humored smile "Would you look at someone like me and believe that I was only born eight years ago?"

Shina shook her head and then yelled out "I have to do something, or I'm just piggybacking off his efforts! While he's doing all the work, I'm just stumbling around and getting in the way?!"

Dizzy laid a hand on Shina's shoulder and caused her to wince. With that gentle touch, the half-Gear had managed to calm her down a little with a familiar feeling that the girl found difficult to describe. "You are overreacting. Please, allow me to offer you my share of wisdom."

"O-Ok…" Shina replied meekly.

Resting her hands before her waist, Dizzy remarked "My life wasn't always as joyous as it is today. Long ago I lived in a forest, afraid of meeting others because of my uncontrollable power. All I had were the company of animals and a man that shared in my kindred spirit. I lived in peace for a time, until the day came when a bounty had been placed on me. Many people around the world sought to defeat me and claim the prize, yet only one was capable of defeating me…"

"Yet, despite his rough exterior, he showed me kindness and let me live. Not long after meeting this strange man, I found myself meeting another kind stranger by the name of Johnny. Having heard the rumors of my strange and terrifying power, all he had to say when he met me was…"

" _My lady…how would you like to be part of the Jellyfish Pirates?"_

"He was not afraid. The only thing on that man's face was a kind smile and a warm gleam in his eyes. There was resistance from my friend, of course, but even he knew that I deserved better than solitude and let me go. For a time, I enjoyed the company of the Jellyfish Pirates and learned how to fend for myself. May taught me how to cook, Johnny taught me how to clean…"

"Eventually, I could stand on my own two feet like any other human. Yet…the Gear half of me still was a threat to their safety. It did not take long for a cruel witch to come along and try to force my powers to manifest for the sake of harming others. My body was tearing itself up from the inside as I struggled to maintain control."

"And yet, I remember that moment so fondly not as a nightmare, but as the start of an eternal dream…It was not the man who spared me once before, nor was it Johnny or May, but rather Ky who stood amongst the crowd to save me. He knew he was not strong enough, but he vowed that it was not with strength that he would save me…He would reach out to my heart and give it the strength to fight back."

"Hehehe, he truly was a knight, through and through. Yet, he was not wrong…It was because of his help that we were able to hold back the power inside of me. And from that day onward, I stayed by his side in secret, and eventually we fell in love and well…had a beautiful and lively child."

After such an articulate story, Dizzy looked Shina in the eyes and condensed in all down to a simple sentence "Some speak with their fists, others speak with their hearts. Shina…what does your heart have to say?"

Laying her hands atop her chest, Shina felt her heart beating slowly and murmured "I-I want to see my family again…"

"Let that valiance be your source of strength. So long as you never forget that, you will see your family again. That, I swear."

Shina shook her head and told her "B-But it's not good enough to be kind! I have to have actual strength!"

Dizzy smiled. "You can have both. After all, the man who spared me did." She then poked one finger against the center of Shina's chest a couple times and remarked "Just do not lose your way in doing so. Just because you change, doesn't mean you're not the same person afterwards."

Reflecting on those words for a few moments, Shina lightly cracked a smile and chuckle. "Heh…the way you speak reminds me of my mother."

Dizzy widened her eyes and clutched her hands close to her chest, saying with a gentle blush in her cheeks "I suppose it is a role I've naturally grown accustomed to, and I didn't even realize it." Then, closing her eyes, the half-Gear remarked "Shina…there is something I wish to ask of you."

Shina perked her brows up attentively as Dizzy explained "I will be in another part of the castle…Ky and Sin will be defending the entrance from attackers. So could you please go meet up with and protect them from harm?"

"T-That's a lot to ask from someone you just met."

"I believe in you, that's why I ask. Please, believe in yourself too." Dizzy remarked so nonchalantly, it was quite unbelievable. Shina huddled her hands close to her chest and replied in doubt "I-I'll try my hardest…"

"Thank you." With a smile, Dizzy turned around and began to head towards her destination. Shina trembled in place for a little before murmuring "M-Maybe it'll help to protect another family…I hafta try…" She ran off towards the entrance of this part of the castle a moment later.

Outside the castle near the very top of the west-wing tower, Sol currently stood at the edge of the ledge and looked out towards the city. The rain sizzled to steam around his body. Hanging around behind the top of the tower was Alex, who tip-toed around the ledge while carefully looking at Sol. Eventually, the man sighed and remarked "Don't know why you're bothering with that bullshit, I can hear your footsteps."

Alex quickly leaped out from cover and landed behind Sol, telling him bluntly "I was trying not to bother you. Then again, wasn't expecting you to get here ahead of me."

Sol folded his arms together and let out a scoff. Alex turned around and put a bit of heat around his body to repel the rain, remarking in a tired voice "At least we're almost at the end of this."

"Hrrmmm…"

Alex glanced over his shoulder and began to ask "Are you going to say anything else or are you still mad-" "Kid, shut up for a moment. I'm trying to think."

After a few seconds, Sol put his hands on his hips and turned around, remarking with a kindness unlike him "I might've misjudged you. First I thought you were just some shit-nosed brat trying to act tough."

As Alex turned around, Sol brushed a hand out beside his shoulder and told him honestly "But there's not many people who can claim to give me a hard time. You're forcing me to count them on my other hand."

The man then swerved his body and pointed out at the boy "So you say we're not that different? Fine, I'm willing to believe that to some extent. But I want you to shut up and listen when I tell you there's a pretty important difference between us."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked with little curiosity. Sol bluntly replied "This isn't me shooting the shit for once. I mean it, take my advice on this." He then lowered his head and with his eyes draped in shadow remarked "You still have your Aria. Do not hesitate to say what you need to her before it's too late."

Alex reeled back a bit and stammered "M-My Aria? You're referring to Shina, aren't you?! Oh come on, we're just friends!" As the boy swung his arm out in defiance, Sol kept a lofty air around him and replied "That fire you had in your soul when you fought me wasn't the type for someone protecting just a friend. I won't pretend I know your past with others kid, but seemed to me like she's more precious to you than you're letting yourself believe."

Alex paused and rubbed the back of his head. He made a bare effort to deny what Sol was saying with a joke "Look, when you're only company for a while is a fungus with arms and a turtle you greatly appreciate the company of someone relatively human, alright?"

Sol cracked a light smile and remarked "Your response basically boils down to 'I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy'." Alex widened his eyes and looked directly at the man to tell him "Bohemian Rhapsody? That's right…you're a Queens fan."

"Huh, so taste isn't dead in your world." Sol said in a surprised tone of voice. Alex shook his shoulders and replied "Eh, even on both our worlds Queens haven't done anything in a long time. I just remember listening to one of their old albums."

"What kinda music do you like then?"

"I don't know, there's this Daisuke Ishiwatari guy who makes some pretty rockin' tunes."

"Who the hell's that?"

"Er…never mind."

After that little exchange, Alex waved his hand out and said "I guess I should apologize for almost killing you back then." Sol replied "You were about to pull out something ridiculously powerful, I knew that much. You should've suggested that move to the birdbrain."

"It's too risky now. If I unleashed that on Justice, it'd wipe out the castle and everyone in it. And having the others retreat would make the Conclave suspect our plans."

Alex glanced at Sol, and the man nodded but pointed out "They'd suspect us either way, might as well lessen the collateral damage." The boy folded his arms and said "I'm still worried about the artifact piece. If that activates, we're going to have a tougher fight on our hands."

"Then we'll just have to move to Plan B." Sol nonchalantly remarked before turning to look towards the city. Alex grinned and said "I'd rather that'd be our 'A' Plan, but what're you going to do?"

He then walked out beside Sol, who rested his hands on his hips and said "Lets show those bastards a real fireworks show." Alex clenched his fists and set them on fire, replying with some degree of respect "Right behind you, Sol."

 _Next Time: Time's Abyss_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Meet Again I: Big Blast Sonic**

In the final moments before the plan went into action, the skies of Illyria have gone wild with winds and lightning on top of the rain. It was a fitting backdrop for a battle for the fate of this world. Only Alex and Sol had to deal with the brunt of this, everyone else was either running through the halls of the castle to get into position for defense or inside the amplification device's chamber ready to overload Justice.

In review, Paradigm said to the group through the communicators "Good. Is everyone at their posts? We haven't much time, so I'll explain the details of our operation quickly. First, Dizzy, Elphelt and myself will go to the control room in the basement to prepare our amplification procedure. Frederick and Alex have already taken their positions at the top of the tower. Everyone else, I need you to defend the areas between the entrance and the west tower. If anyone attempts to obstruct us, eliminate them.

"Understood!" Ky said, followed by Leo remarking "Will do", Sin saying "On it!" and Shina muttering "I-I'll do my best!"

Paradigm remarked in a pleased tone "I'm glad you could join us, Ms. Aurora." Sin then blurted out over the communicator "Yeah! Not even a rat will get through our defenses now!"

Paradigm continued his explanation "Elphelt will be staying with me as an insurance plan in case, in event that all does not go according to our calculations. She may provide some very unique insight. And last but not least…" His voice started to delve into uneasiness before he quickly spoke "Illyria Castle is not built to withstand an amplified strike from St. Elmo's Fire. There is a chance this operation may cause the building to explode."

"What the fu-"

"S-Sin! Watch your language! Your mother is listening…"

"W-W-Whoops…Sorry mom." Dizzy's giggle could then be heard over the line.

Once everyone else was at the entrance to the castle, it didn't take very long for one of Leo's operators to chime in with a tone of panic _"Heat source detected. There's a phase shift occurring…directly above us! Justice is materializing now!"_

Only Alex and Sol were also witness to what was happening outside. Directly in front of the tower appeared a concentrated mass of red energy manifested from the Backyard. Justice lurched out through the energy like a zombie and stood upright as the energy faded behind it. Sparing no quarter, the shoulders of this colossus lit up and two glowing red-orange tendrils lashed out and attached themselves to the tower. The energy vibrated along the tendrils at a slow but tense pace.

" _Impossible! This is far sooner than I predicted!"_ Paradigm suddenly yelled out. Alex and Sol looked out towards Justice, with the man remarking "St. Elmo's Fire isn't even close to striking…" Alex, kneeling down beside Sol, had goosebumps riddling his skin as he grinned nervously and told him "I-It's coming soon though. Holy shit…I've never felt lightning like this before. It's like the sky's going to explode…!"

Inside Justice, only Chronus remained out of all the Conclave members. The table he and his comrades plotted their schemes at was gone, with him standing at the center while raising his arms high. With a roar that echoed outside Justice, Chronus summoned a double helix spine around his body. At the bottom of the helix was a skull-faced pod that he firmly attached himself to. He placed the artifact piece on the small ledge in front of him and remarked "Now…a God of Destruction shall be reborn, stronger than ever!"

Justice stirred for the first time, with it's head lifting up and mouth splitting open to reveal it's muscular jaw and vaguely human-like teeth. In the face of all these events, Paradigm scampered to piece together what was going on.

" _They're already beginning to collect energy…? What's happening-Of course! They're stored it in a capacitor! Frederick, Alex, I apologize…I was terribly mistaken! Chronus plans to bind their souls to Justice BEFORE activating her!"_

Sol and Alex stared Justice in the face, with the man remarking bitterly "Figures…" while Alex tensely stared at the monster's hellish face and thought _"The artifact is in there, but if I attack too soon the energy might backlash into the castle and destroy it. Why the hell is it not even activating?"_

Inside the castle, Ky, Sin, Leo and Shina were near the entrance, which was a rounded room with two floors worth of archaic balconies and some square windows hollowed out above them. They could only stand by patiently as guardians, and the tensions outside were slowly starting to affect them.

"Our enemies have moved sooner than we anticipated." Ky remarked. Leo nodded his head and spoke what was on everyone's mind "I guess the only thing left for us to do is trust in the Doctor, then. And try to stay calm…" Shina was the only one feeling off, as she slowly twirled her rapier in her fingers and her eyes tensely glanced around.

Leo wished to defuse the stress and brought up a nostalgic topic with Ky to stir conversation. "Heh…never thought I'd be standing next to you on the battlefield again, honestly." Ky smiled and replied "Very true. Since the Crusades came to an end, our paths have seldom crossed, yet here we are again, shoulder to shoulder against the wind."

"Would you say that's fate? Or just us not knowing how to grow up?"

"Heh, you raise a good point."

Sin glanced back and forth at the two and inquired "Sooooo…are you two friends?" Leo replied swiftly in a tone that suggested he never thought of that "Friends…? No, he's more like an…inspiration."

Ky and Shina gave a shocked "What…?" before Leo started to tell a tale "When I was a kid, I was always the best. At everything. Magic or swordsmanship, nobody stood a chance against me. Until I met this guy…I didn't know what was going on. The idea that somebody, anybody could be better that me was…And he wouldn't shut up about being just and right…"

Folding his arms for a pause, he then continued "I was a self-centered little shit, always ready to write off anybody I thought was inferior…Which, by the way, was everyone. But this guy…this guy!"

"You know what he did? Definitely not give me the brush-off, like I would have done, no: It was all 'Let us hone our skills together!'" Leo did an impressively good imitation of Ky's voice while pumping his fist out. Then with a chuckle he said "Little bastard…"

"Yeah, it pissed me off! I'm sure he thought he was just being friendly, but to me…man, it felt like he was just rubbing salt in the wound."

This was news to Ky. "R-Really…?" Leo continued "Damn right! So I had to do something to cheer myself up…Which ended up being writing down Ky's name next to the entry for 'bambino' in my dictionary."

" _H-His dictionary…?"_ Shina and Sin both thought. Ky smiled and said in a humored tone "Only now, a decade later, do I learn the origins of that nickname…?"

"Heh…I can't exactly call you that any more, though. I tried, I tried real hard…I trained all that time. I worked on bettering myself…and before I realized it, I was a pretty decent guy. A decent guy who can compliment himself. That's okay, right? Still, if I had to grade myself…I'd say C, C- at the least."

As Sin and Leo shared a jolly laugh at the story, Shina glanced aside and murmured "…Training to better yourself, huh…?" The story spoke to her, making her think deeply about the meaning behind it.

However, she would not get to focus on it for long as Leo suddenly mentioned "Wait, you said the Conclave were bonding with Justice before activating it, right?" Ky nodded his head, and Leo continued with a more concerned tone "Then does that mean the Conclave's will…becomes Justice's?"

Ky thought little of that at first as he answered "Y-Yes, I suppose…" Then his eyes widened in abject shock with a dew of sweat dripping down the side of his face. "Oh no!" He then blurted.

"What? What is it?!" Sin exclaimed in confusion. Ky said horrifically "Justice is able to control all other Gears through her willpower alone…Or more accurately, any beings that have been engineered from Gear cells."

"A-And…just how many Opus are there in the Capitol? In Illyria?" Leo was far too afraid to ask. Ky was just as scared to respond "Nearly 1,200...Eighty percent of the world has Opus units deployed to it…Illyria was the first."

Right as he said that, mechanical clinks began to stir within the shadows. Emerging from underneath the archaic arches were the mechanical soldiers that had once stood in defense of Ky on his ship. Their numbers were incalculable from afar, but their weapons could be clearly seen.

" _The Opus were the Sanctus Populi's idea…Of course, of course! It would be impossible for even Justice to single-handedly subjugate the entire world. Why didn't I realize this sooner?! Everyone, man your stations!"_

As Paradigm declared that to the chosen defenders, the swarm of Opus soldiers charged in from all parts of the room towards the small group. They drew their silver blades and their bodies clanked as they limply swung at the others. Leo and Ky took the offensive and drew their weapons to attack, swiftly slicing through a few of the Opus.

Already the group was surrounded, and Sin exclaimed while tightly holding his flag "What the hell?! They just keep coming!" Shina could barely raise her rapier, even though she knew that she'd be able to take these soldiers down.

"We have to split up! We need to block all avenues the Opus might take!" Ky suggested loudly. "Alright, where do we go?!" Leo inquired. Ky responded swiftly "Leo, hold your ground her. Sin and Shina, go to the plaza! I will stop anything that attempts to come through the East Gate!"

"K-Ky, wait…!" Shina could barely muster the volume needed for him to hear her and she was swiftly overtaken by Sin declaring "Come on Shina, lets make a break for it!" The boy then swung his flag back as red electricity surrounded his body in a sphere.

"RIDE THE LIGHTNING!" Sin declared as he charged himself through at least two dozen Opuses to make his way towards the plaza. Shina shook in place but then with a gulp slammed down on the Gunslinger Drive stone to activate it. _"No, I-I can stop these things!"_ As she changed forms she swung her newly formed aura pistols forward and sent a piercing laser through some Opus standing diagonally to her and then rushed ahead after Sin.

" _You must hold on! We still have some time before St. Elmo's Fire is scheduled to fall!"_ Paradigm urgently proclaimed. As Leo was busy dealing with the soldiers, he was quite impatient towards the Gear's insistent reminders of the obvious. "Yeah, we get it! Now hurry up and do your job!"

Back on the tower, Alex overheard all the commotion going on over the communications and suddenly found himself laying a hand on his ear and saying "Wait what the hell?! When did Shina get involved?!" Clenching his fist tightly, Alex grit his teeth and stood up while turning around, saying to Sol "I have to get her out of there, she's in no condition to fight!"

Paradigm declared in a panic _"No no no! Things are already going downhill enough! Elphelt's run off to fight the Opus, I do not need anyone else leaving their posts!"_ Alex bit his lower lip and wanted to defy the request until Sol bluntly remarked "Hey! Do you want a put an end to bullshit or not? You're better off up here then down there. There's enough manpower as is to stop a bunch of crappily made dolls."

Alex clenched his fists and swung them down beside his hips. Turning around, he stood beside Sol and remarked tensely "Alright…the Opus will go down once we stop Justice anyways."

With Leo, he's slicing through the Opus soldiers ferociously like butter, but the numbers present made it difficult to keep up his defenses and a few nicks and cuts got to his body. Even so he pressed on, though he failed to notice some swords about to stab into his back. What stopped those Opus from killing him outright were a couple of bullets to the head that disabled them outright.

Leo turned his head and suddenly saw Elphelt standing close by with a rectangular barreled pink pistol in her hand and her eyes lit up with determination. "Y-You can fight?!" Leo declared in surprise. Elphelt said matter-of-factly "Duh…I AM a Valentine!"

With a smirk, Leo swung his swords in a cross and remarked "So you are…Lets take them down!" Elphelt rocketed forward while enlarging her weapon into a rectangular shotgun with a glowing green chamber. She slammed it into an Opus' chest and a blast of bullets broke a hole through it's body. Then she split the shotgun into two pistols and leaped into the air while twirling beautifully, sending a rain of bullets down upon the Opus around her.

She mostly cleared the room out in that short span of time and then landed on the ground, proudly declaring "Take that!" However, just a moment later she started to feel strange, and ominously declared "…Huh? No…no!"

Leo concernedly asked "Is something wrong…" while Elphelt started to freak out. She laid a hand on the left side of her face as her normally bubbly irises shrunk down to frightened specks. "NO! Please, don't! I-I don't want to…!" Her body began to emit a wave of heat and her conscious in turn was being twisted against her will.

From a dimension afar, Bedman and an obscured silver-haired woman watching him from a mirror behind observed the events unfolding in Illyria with great interest. The woman smugly proclaimed "Just as planned…" while Bedman said in confidence "Yes. The anomalies provided a little trouble but we have ultimately come out of this victorious. Justice is awakening, the Opus are activating soon…"

"Very soon now, St. Elmo's Fire will ignite…Hmm?" The woman sounded a bit puzzled, and outside of their observation something else was going on with Elphelt. Her body froze up, devoid of even the slightest twitch in her muscles as a purple aura flared up around her and her eyes glowed bright red.

The woman remarked in bewilderment "I-Impossible! How can someone else…" Bedman turned around and asked "Now what the hell is going on?!"

As though to answer their panicked inquiries, a breech in the dimensions opened up before the two and a distorted voice remarked _"yOU hAvE PLayEd yoUR paRTs weLl…Now…This is MY PLoT…IT'S no UsE RESIstiNG…"_

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Ky had just finished cutting down the last of the Opus near the center plaza when suddenly he overheard Leo yelling in pain over the communicator. He laid a hand on his ear and remarked "Leo?!" in concern. He then quickly called Paradigm and asked "Doctor, something has happened with Leo! I'm going to investigate."

" _Leo has Elphelt right now. Focus on your own mission!"_

"I have taken care of all of the hostiles in this area."

" _Heh, I should have known. Very well then, go see what he's up to."_

"Thank you." As Ky shut off communications, he let out a sigh of relief and turned around. Not even one step forward and a 'BANG!' echoed through the room, stopping him dead in his tracks. There was something wrong. Ky's body felt cold and there was a pain in his chest he could not describe. Looking down, he saw a hole through the center of his body and a splotch of blood around it.

Fear gripping his mind, he turned around only to take a few more bullets to the shoulders and another one to his chest. His body was jerked around so much that his ponytail was undone right before he fell flat on his back, a pale expression on his face.

His assailant was the Conclave member Axus, who in this world of magic used only a simple revolver to perform this dirty deed. Lowering his smoking weapon, Axus arrogantly remarked "I see not even the High King of Illyria is prepared to be shot in the back."

Ky's head wobbled as he lifted it up, staring his killer in the face and stammering with blood dripping from his mouth "Y-You…!" Axus slowly walked over while clicking the barrel a few times, placing it on a fresh bullet that he would use to deal the final blow. Ky could only lay in the pool of blood forming below him, defenseless.

"It is a shame to kill you, honestly…But a new world is about to begin, and you would be a great threat to that new world." As Axus so heartlessly said that, Ky weakly raised his hand up, his way of asking for mercy. Axus aimed the gun downward and remarked "This is nothing personal, we simply need you out of the way. For the greater good."

With one click of the trigger, a bullet pierced through Ky's heart in an instant, and his arm fell limp on the ground. Across the castle, Dizzy suddenly clenched her hands against her chest in pain. Paradigm looked at her and asked "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and murmured "I-I just had a bad feeling…an omen…" Paradigm would offer her comfort, but something more important just came up in front of him. Turning towards the amplification device, which was shaped like a church piano complete with organs, he declared "St. Elmo's Fire is about to strike! Frederick! Alex! Get ready!"

Back with Axus, he stood over Ky's corpse with gun lowered and a callous look in his eyes. He had only mockery to give to his fallen enemy. "Credit where credit's due, though. Your nation has fallen for your talk of justice and fairness hook, line, and sinker." Axus put his gun in his trench coat pocket and began to walk away.

"That's…not true…"

A voice that shouldn't have spoken again left Axus' legs stiff and weak for a few seconds, giving the person behind him the time to stand on his feet again and tie his hair back up into a ponytail. Axus turned around and pulled his gun out, declaring in fear "N-No! This is impossible! I shot you! You died…!"

Ky slowly reached for his blade while standing upright, remarking to Axus' earlier words "They know…that my idealistic dreams are only that…They can never come true. What my people expect from me is not a perfect and just ruler…It is something more! No matter what monsters and demons stand in our way…I have sworn never to give in. THAT is what my people believe."

He stared at Axus with a determined expression, but now something had changed. His left iris now glowed bright red. This was not a sign of him being infected by that strange aura. No…Axus looked at that eye and knew horrifically what this meant. "Crimson…? No…no! Impossible! How could you be part Ge-?!"

Ky raised his bladed and charged it with electricity, placing his other hand forward and declaring "My promise to my people is that I will never bow to evil, no matter what it may cost me! HAAAAAAAAA!" Axus was so frozen in disbelief that he did nothing as Ky lunged right at him and cut him down through the chest, appearing behind him with one leg bent and the other stretched back.

As blood shot forth from Axus' chest, his body fell to the ground without another word spoken. Ky raised a hand to his face while sheathing his weapon. Looking towards the hallway with his eye back to normal, Ky declared "Hold on Leo, I'm coming!"

While that was going on, Alex and Sol were busy punching away Opuses that had made their way up the tower until Paradigm declared _"It's almost time! When I give the signal, prepare to pull Chronus apart from Justice!"_

The two clenched their fists and proclaimed "Hurry up!" The Gear gave his countdown with his heart beating hard against his chest _"Three…two…one…now!"_

Behind the two, the towering four-winged lightning rod began to spark with purple electricity while the sky ripped itself open above it. Nature unleashed it's pure, unbridled wrath upon the world in the form of a fantastical and frightening lightning bolt. As it smashed against the lightning rod Alex stared at it and felt the energy from it lashing against his body _"S-Shit! Not even Gemini or I could unleash something this powerful!"_

He had to turn around to observe as Justice's tendrils turned bright violet, taking upon the intensity of the lightning bolt as the energy surged into it's body. It's head reared up and roared loud enough to be heard outside the city. Inside this terrifying titan, Chronus now had his arms bound to the pod with fleshy veins dug into his clothes and skin. He laughed joyously and proclaimed "Hahahahaha! Finally! Victory is ours!"

He looked up and said a little unhinged "You see this, Universal Will?! And you, Gear Maker! All that you've demanded will be done, by our hands! Whatever you may think, ultimate power is now ours! HAHAHAHA!" In his arrogance, he had no clue as to what was coming next.

Inside the castle, Paradigm pointed at the whirling amplification device and proclaimed to Dizzy "Now!" Lifting herself up off the ground after a firm nod, Dizzy spread her wings as bright green energy surged before her body. Swinging her arms out wide, Dizzy unleashed an unimaginable amount of raw energy upon a magic seal set up by Paradigm in front of the machine. It's gears whirled even faster and forced itself into Justice's body, making the tendrils shine so bright and white that it was almost blinding to the two who observed it.

Justice's mouth opened wide and an excess of energy started to spasm out from it. Inside the monster, the atmosphere surrounding Chronus changed from white to dark red, the energy lashing against his body and causing him to scream. "W-What is this…?! No! It's too much! Too much! D-Damn you…PARADIGM!"

" _Hehehehe…."_

A hollow and mocking laugh rung out to Chronus, and he barely glanced down to watch as someone walked into view before him. They were corporeal and seemed to be human, but he could barely make out their true form due to the pain blurring his vision. Even so, there was enough distinguishable for him to yell out "Y-You…! You lied to us…! T-This artifact does nothing! It is just a stone and nothing else!"

"…I lied? What a bold accusation…" The gender of their tone was indiscernible, but not the manner of which they spoke. In a mocking manner, this being remarked "I told you…The power to accomplish your goals is yours. That was not referring to your meager puppet. After all…how could something so inanimate have a soul to truly draw that wonderful powerful from in the first place?"

"W-What…? A-A-Are you saying…that…I am the one who should…take this power?" Chronus painfully inquired as his body shook in pain. The being gave a curt nod and continued "All you have to do is cast aside that simple morality of yours. Admit to your blasphemies…accept the sins within your mortal soul…That power will accept you, and in turn that power will flow into that which you control. Or…you could die, pathetically begging for your life like a criminal. Are you not the embodiment of your so-called justice…?"

Chronus lurched forward, an anger welling inside of him that he hadn't felt before. His yellow lens slid back and revealed the envious orange eyes behind them. He panted in anguish "Y-Yes…I WILL be Justice! I will BRING justice to this forsaken world!"

With a hollow whisper, the being appeared to grasp something in their hands and twirl it over their shoulder. "Yes…you are justice…A justice so strong and unyielding, that even the mightiest flames shall be put out before your presence. Become one with your sinful soul, foolish human, and none shall stand against your power except those even MORE foolish than you…"

Chronus' heart heavily pounded against his chest, his body breaking down into a cold sweat as the artifact piece started to react before him. The stone lunged itself into his chest and bound itself to his flesh, causing him to scream like he hadn't before. Yet, as the process unfolded, his muscles and nerves pulsated with newfound strength, and a pitch black aura surrounded his body while his eyes burned a hollow white. As he lurched over, the being slowly slipped into a portal behind them and remarked "Now…enjoy yourself to your hearts' content…But make sure not to carelessly break any birds in your path, hehehe…"

Outside, Sol looked towards Justice as the tendrils retracted into its body and it seemed to lurch stiffly upright. He grabbed his Junkyard Dog and clenched it tightly, proclaiming to Alex "Lets end this bastard!" to which the boy nodded his head and with fists set on fire joined the man in leaping out while declaring "Right behind you!"

They went straight for Justice's mouth and dove in, putting all they had into punching the energy built up back into the monster's throat. Justice reacted by bending forward as the energy swelled up in it's backside and then exploded, with Alex and Sol flying out of the hole and landing right on the awnings of a nearby house. With another roar, Justice suddenly started to fall back, collapsing right on top a few blocks worth of houses directly in front of the two.

Sol swung his Junkyard Dog out and dislodged a bullet from the blade, which was now steaming red hot. He then rubbed the back of his neck and grinned "And that's the end of that…" Alex, with a perturbed expression, held his hands out and remarked "No it's not. I wasn't able to grab the artifact piece, and I couldn't sense Chronus within Justice."

"What the hell? Did that bastard just run away?"

Sol's inquiry would soon receive an answer, but not in a way he'd be pleased with. Like a puppet being hoisted by it's strings, Justice slowly started to rise up from the ground, leaving Sol and Alex gritting their teeth in anger. The monster, once fully erect, started to change as it turned itself towards the two. It's pale white body turned pitch black, blended itself in partially with the dismal atmosphere. It's shoulders grew bigger and squared out, the cannons being hidden behind awnings that magnetized to it from all around the city. It's teeth grew sharp and more rows of them grew in behind the first. It's tail sharpened into a thin, blade-like form that was still able to bend around like before, while it's claws and arms grew jagged spikes all around. The back of it's head burst open as dozens of glowing red tendrils ran down it's back, making this monster appear to have the hair of it's once smaller form. Finally, the sides of it's face slit open to reveal a pair of pale glowing white eyes.

A black aura erupted from around the monster as it looked down upon the duo and let out a familiar, unhinged laugh. Alex widened his eyes and remarked "W-What the hell…that's Chronus!" The monster declared in a bellowing voice "No…! No longer does that foolish man exist! Mind, body and soul have all been burned to nothingness…There exists only the God of Destruction and the ruler of this new world of my design, Justice!"

Alex and Sol stared up at the towering monstrosity with their weapons gripped tightly. They barely flinched, even in the face of such unnerving power. Paradigm for sure could not keep his composure as he declared _"H-How is this possible…?! He's contained the energies of both St. Elmo's Fire AND the Gamma Ray within him! Frederick…Alex…I-I-I'm so sorry…I have doomed us all…"_

"Will you give it a rest already birdbrain?!" Sol angrily blurted out. Paradigm let out a shocked _"W-What? Don't be absurd Frederick! There are no other options left! We exhausted our last hope of survival against-"_

"Exhausted? Give me a break…" Alex swung his sword in front of his body and placed his fingers on all seven triggers, telling the Gear bluntly "WE'RE still here! So like hell we're giving in to this bastard!"

" _Stop! This is suicide!"_

"Wrong! This…is OUR Plan B!" Alex pulled the triggers while Sol calmly swung his arms out. Together, the two erupted into an incredible pillar of golden fire that briefly pushed away the rain. When the fire died out, they had activated their Phoenix Form and Dragon Install respectively and stared up at the monster. With Sol declaring "Yeah…Beat the HELL out of this bastard! That's how we always do things, so quit your panicking already Paradigm!" he punched his fist into an open palm and cracked his knuckles and his bones made a firecracker-like noise.

"… _Hrgghh…I will…do whatever I can to make sure everyone else evacuates safely."_

Paradigm signed out, while Chronus laughed arrogantly and said to the two "Defeat me?! I control the ultimate power in the world…no…THE UNIVERSE! And as my first declaration as ruler, I shall snuff out the flames of your life, Phoenix of Destruction and Flame of Corruption!"

Alex and Sol scoffed and swung their weapons out, declaring in unison "Shut up!" before leaping straight at their foe. The final battle had now TRULY begun…

 _Next Time: My name is…!_


	20. Chapter 20

The city of Illyria continued to be plagued with the unending wrath of the storm. Raindrops flooded the streets and rooftops, and lightning smashed against the ground like a hammer to a hot iron. In the center of town a battle raged louder than any clap of thunder. Alex and Sol were taking on the titanic Justice, who the Conclave member Chronus had completely merged with. Both parties were going all-out, and the once docile city was being swept up in this hurricane of destruction.

"Tch…!" Alex grunted as he crashed through a roof and smashed through a few buildings. The green wispy shield he had in his Phoenix Form protected him from harm, but he still rubbed the back of his head and murmured "That was annoying…"

A light shadow loomed over his body, and he looked up to find Justice getting ready to stomp him down. Alex unleashed some flames from his feet to boost away, curving his flight to get back into the air as the foot smashed down upon the house he had ended up in. Watching as the ground heaved up around the foot, Alex grit his teeth and then swung his hands up high to gather in electricity.

Sol, in the mean time, jumped at Justice's chest while his right fist was thrown back. With all the strength he could muster, Sol punched downward with flames erupting all-around him in a diagonal spike as big as his foe's head. This attack dent the monster's frame, and Sol quickly threw his other fist in the same manner to try and break through. Justice, however, opened it's mouth and fired a red beam straight down.

"…Shit." Sol remarked with little surprise as he was blasted straight to the ground. Justice wasn't satisfied with just pinning that man to the ground and with a roar poured more energy into that attack. It doubled the size of the beam and pressed that man through the plates of the planet while a shockwave ripped through the nearby homes.

In this time, Alex was able to gather enough electricity from the clouds to leave his hands sparking nearly as bright as St. Elmo's Fire. Wincing at Sol being under fire, Alex rapidly thrust his hands out and sent a volley of lightning arrows at Justice. But the titan just slowly lurched up and sent the tendrils that composed it's hair out to absorb the lightning. With a slow, bellowing laugh, the machine's tendrils surged with electricity while the man who fused with it spoke out "What a folly for monsters to try and stain God."

"You're no god." Alex said with a disdainful scowl before swinging his arm out and exclaiming "What god destroys what his people built?!" Chronus replied arrogantly "Why, the same god who supposedly gave birth to us all. I will wash this world clean of it's sins and rebuild it anew, just as He did!"

"You're just one person! Even with all the Opuses in the world, someone would eventually be able to stop you if we somehow don't!" Alex replied while boldly pointing his finger out towards the titan. Chronus laughed a little more before bellowing out, "My power has become far greater than what it was before. You do not seem to realize just what that means."

The ground then started to shake violently below Justice, and in a matter of seconds an eruption burst forth with Sol rocketing towards the titan's face with his fist combusting with a trail of fire. The monster's head swerved to the left, but Sol dealt with his miss by spinning around and throwing all his fire into his blade in order to send one massive burning shot into the forehead.

Justice recoiled back while Sol flipped away, spreading his burning wings to levitate in front of Alex. "That bastard just loves to flap his gums, doesn't he?" Sol swung his sword back and bathed it in a bright orange glow while Alex asked him "Yeah, he's going on like he's already won. Like a little more power is going to make…that…"

Alex widened his eyes and grit his teeth, looking towards the castle and remarking "Shit!" loudly enough for Sol to glance back and remark "What, what's going on?" With a swift reply of "Hold Justice off for a bit! The castle's in danger!"

He then kicked his feet back and launched himself straight at the castle. Justice's tendrils swung out as Chronus remarked "Clever boy…" and had a series of strange red orbs fired from the tendrils' tips. Sol swung his blade out to send a hot wave of fire at Justice while exclaiming "Shit! Watch out! That's energy from the Backyard!"

Alex looked over his shoulder and found the orbs flying at him faster than he could move. Swerving around, the boy drew his sword and sliced the sky hard and fast to send a condensed blade of pressurized air towards the orbs. The energy from the Backyard swallowed the attack up and kept flying towards Alex, forcing the boy to fly up to avoid them. However, one nicked the bottom of his legs and instead of keeping the soul shield up, the orb swallowed the shield whole into itself.

The boy glared over to where Justice was, but found that it had already vanished. Sol was looking up and yelling something out, but couldn't be heard amongst the thunderclaps. When the man realized that he pointed straight up, giving Alex just a moment to look that way and find Justice diving straight out of a portal with claw arm stretched out. The machine applies all it's bulk into slamming Alex against the ground, dragging him through twenty blocks and ripping apart the houses that happen to be in his way.

Justice slams both it's feet on the ground with enough force to shake the city whole. With Alex pinned and another shield up to protect his body, Justice aimed it's tendrils at him and screeched. Before those orbs could be launched, the titan was heaved off the ground by it's tail and thrown skyward, an effort Alex would have to thank Sol for, especially since the man panted a little after. Justice stopped itself rather quickly, but it gave Alex just enough to run up to Sol.

"What I was trying to get at was-"

"I get it! Damn it! …Now that Justice is more powerful, that bastard controlling her can control even stronger Gears!" Sol yelled that out in frustration. He knew what that meant, just as badly as Alex did. However, the two of them also knew that Justice was too present of a threat for them to divert their attention away to the castle. As the monster unleashed a salvo of spiked missiles from it's arms, Alex quickly and desperately took a hand to the communicator and yelled into it "Shina! Listen to me…!"

 _A couple minutes earlier…_

Inside the castle, Sin and Shina had just finished off the remainder of the Opus in the area where they first split up. They felt the rumbling going on from the battle outside. Sin held his flag over his shoulder and looked out one of the windows, remarking in a puzzled tone "Hey uhhh…shouldn't we be done already?"

Shina looked back and went "H-Huh?" followed by Sin laying a hand on the side of his head and murmuring "My head's really hurting too, and it's like there's someone whispering to me. You feeling any of that Shina?"

The girl slowly shook her head with a perturbed look on her face and then closed her eyes, feeling for the auras outside of the castle. _"Alex and Sol are out there, but…so is Justice?"_ She jolted her eyes open upon feeling the black aura raging violently around that titan. With pistols held she laid her hands on the side of her head and looked to Sin before feebly suggesting "W-We should probably find the others and get outta-"

Then, without a single warning, an explosion went off on the northern wall, and as Sin and Shina directed their attention towards it they found Ky and Paradigm had been blown aside, lying amongst the concrete debris with barely any ability to move. Smoke permeated the hole blown into the wall, and a shadowy figured squirmed within it. It took naught the smoke fading for their identity to be revealed, as all Ky had to do was weakly raise his scuffed head and murmur concernedly "D-Dizzy…w-what's happening to you?"

As Sin widened his eyes and Shina placed her hands against her mouth to let out a fear fraught gasp, the smoke blew away to reveal a horrific sight. Dizzy was stumbling around, gripping the sides of her head while grunting increasingly louder moans of agony. A purple aura had surrounded her, and on the occasional moment she opened her eyes they were glowing bright red.

The cloths on her wings ripped open and two sentient creatures emerged with the same aura around them. One was an crystalline angelic woman with a modest cloth covering her body, while the other was a more gruesome skull-faced being with a black cloak covering their glowing green body. They too violently reacted to whatever was happening, with the grim reaper Necro smashing into a nearby pillar while the angelic Undine dug her nails into the ground to keep Dizzy still.

Dizzy's docility was replaced with a grating expression of pain with every movement she made. Her body twisted and turned in resistance, but it was a fight she was slowly losing. Lunging her head out showed her eyes pupils shrunk down to dots and her mouth releasing heaving, fogged breaths. Sin grit his teeth down hard and red electricity spiked around his body uncontrollably.

"MOM!" After yelling that out, the boy looked up and exclaimed with furious vengeance "LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW YOU BASTARD! OR I'LL RIP YOU APART!"

Paradigm suddenly exclaimed "No Sin! This…Urk…This is Justice's doing!" Sin turned his head and the electricity thrust out from the sides of his eye patch as he yelled "I DON'T CARE!"

As this chaos ensued, Shina just kept mortifyingly holding her hands against her mouth and shaking her head. Watching Dizzy in such pain was unbearable after the kindness she showed her earlier. Observing her own berserk behavior, Dizzy's real personality shone through as she painfully begged to the others "P-Please Sin…! I can't control myself…! G-Grab your father and Paradigm and run!"

Dizzy flung her head back and screamed "S-SO MANY VOICES! P-PLEASE….STOP!" Sin continued to grit his teeth and though his body eased up a little he still yelled out in frustration "D-Damn it! There has to be something we can do!"

Shina meekly lowered her shaking hands and said "W-We can't…" Pausing to gulp, she tensely clenched her teeth and they began to chatter as she lowered her hands beside her hips and started to step back. Shaking her head slowly, she then murmured "W-Why is this happening to her…She's not even evil…"

" _Shina! Listen to me…!"_

Shina let out a scream and almost jumped out of her skin when Alex contacted her. She swiftly raised a hand to the communicator as he explained to her and inadvertently Sin and Paradigm _"Justice has absorbed the energy from St. Elmo's Fire and Dizzy's Gamma Ray and the artifact has been activated! Now that Chronus' has fully merged with Justice as she is now, he can control stronger Gears! D-Damn it…!"_

A series of explosions cut off the transmission for a moment, but picked back up with Alex frantically saying _"Dizzy, Sin and Paradigm might get controlled. You have to get out of there now!"_ Shina let out another gulp and murmured "I-It's too late…Dizzy's already struggling to hold herself together. A-And that strange aura-"

" _That's even more of a reason not to stick around!"_

"B-B-But she's in so much pain…"

" _I can only imagine, but damn it Shina this isn't the time for this! She's Justice's daughter! She's too powerful for you to handle!"_

"S-She's screaming and begging…"

" _I'm screaming too, and I'm not in the fucking mood to beg!"_ Another interruption came in the form of Justice's world shaking screech. _"Do you hear that Shina?! Sol and I are fending off the end of the world out here, and the last thing either of us want is for everyone to die! Dizzy'll have to endure the pain,_ _ **YOU**_ _need to run!"_

" _Run…Run…RUN…"_

That word echoed in Shina's head as she widened her eyes and time felt like it started to grind to a halt. She let out a small, fragile laugh and began to think _"R-Run…? Yeah, maybe that's all I'm good for after all…"_

The room around her faded to black, leaving her feeling cold and empty in a void of nothingness. She limped her right arm and held onto the bracelet on that wrist, and felt like she could drift away. _"Could it be that…I didn't do any of this out of the kindness of my heart? Ma-Maybe all this time I was just running away…From myself? From the fear of losing everything?"_

Shaking her head with another chuckle, she whispered "I-I don't know…" Her voice cracked and got my tearful as she clenched her wrist tightly and repeated what she just said. _"Look at me…I can't even be honest with myself…"_ She slowly creaked her eyes open and looked ahead. With a gasp she saw Alex standing in front of her with back turned. He was mouthing something silently, merely an echo of Shina's own memories.

Grinning a tiny bit, Shina said "You…you're not the most open person Alex, but at least you know who you are. You're brave, you're strong, you're kind…I-in your own rough-headed way at least. You aren't afraid to speak your mind when you want to, and you stand up for what you believe in…" Lowering her head and averting her gaze from that memory, she admits nervously "I-I actually admire you a lot…"

"Not that you'd want to ever hear that from me…I'm a coward, I'm weak…and my kindness is only something that gets taken advantage of…Ever since I could remember, it's been like that." Shina finds her mind flooded with hundreds of other Aurians, many of them stopping in front of her and silently giving a request for help.

"I-It's not like I hated helping people. It always felt good…for a while." Looking up, Shina saw herself being handed a bunch of different things from her peers. It kept going until that Shina was bent over trying to handle the weight of everything on her back. With a timid frown, Shina remarked "Eventually it's almost like they were just taking advantage of that. B-But a part of me liked being relied on, even if it hurt to keep going sometimes…"

Squinting her eyes shut, Shina muttered "A-And I'm nothing without that kindness. There's nothing to me beyond that. I'm not beautiful like mom is, I don't have my sister's potential, and I'm not brave like Alex…" As some tears trickle off her face, she asks "What can I even hope to bring to this journey, at the end of the day?"

One of the tears dripped down on the second of her Drive stones, sending a tiny ring of white aura outward, some of it tickling the top of her wrist. She slowly opens her eyes and looks down at the bracelet, focusing on the stone with a couple wings folded against a holy sword. Shina widened her eyes and a gasp echoed within the confines of the darkness.

"I-I forgot Mom gave this to me…" Shina clenched her wrist tightly and let out another meek chuckle. "You wasted this on me…I'm not deserving of it. A second Aurian Drive is only for those who are really, really strong after all…"

" _Please, believe in yourself too."_

"H-Huh?!" Shina jerked to the left and for a moment saw Dizzy turning around and fade out of sight.

"… _Fight with all your heart, and nobody will be able to stop you from saving your family…Not Justice, not Gravitus…Not even me…"_

Shina jerked her head the other way and saw Alex walking away.

" _But I know I cannot coddle you forever Shina. You have to be allowed to become an adult someday and make your own decisions…"_

Shina looked ahead and paused with widened eyes. Her mother Auris stood in front of her, with her little sister Kairi grabbing at the side of her mother's robe and frowning timidly at Shina. For a moment, Shina heard her little sister's voice echoing _"I-I really miss you, sis…"_

As Shina stared at them with mouth agape, those two were joined by two more Aurians. Then that number doubled exponentially until Shina was surrounded by a million or so Aurians. She looked around in abject confusion for a moment before finding, surprisingly, that her heart was starting to feel lighter than it was before.

Looking at all those Aurians reminded her of what's exactly at stake, especially as they started to disappear in droves at a time. "T-That's right…If I fail, then everyone I know will suffer or die, and that includes…" Shina looked up, and Auris was gone. Kairi was alone, but was soon grabbed by a black cocoon of aura. Her voice was left as a muffled scream as she was dragged into the darkness. Another Shina ran after her, but collapsed on her knees when she realized that she could do nothing.

The real Shina felt her heart clench against her chest at this sight. "S-Sis…" With that hollow rasp in her voice, Shina sniffled and then closed her eyes. "M-Mom…put faith in me to save the lives of our people. Alex…believes I can be stronger. And Dizzy…Dizzy trusted me to protect her family. M-Maybe…I-I'm the only lacking belief in myself?"

Raising her shaking hands in front of her face, Shina murmured "I…I'm…My own worst enemy?" Then she looked up, and that other her she saw stood up and slowly creaked her body around. That other her cried bloody tears and trembled like a cold, vulnerable puppy. Staring at that reflection for just a little bit suddenly caused the real Shina to clench her fists tightly and her body to start tensing up.

"I-I can't do this anymore! Running away…isn't going to change anything!" Shina found herself putting one step forward without realizing it. She looked down at her feet and her lips slowly curled into a small. Then she looked ahead and said "I can't treat this as a video game anymore! I get one life to live, and I love the people who are a part of it! Even if all my efforts end in failure…I have to try! It's better to have taken that step forward…than to keep taking all these steps back!"

Without realizing it, she had suddenly run right through her other self. That figure dissipated into mist, but for a moment cracked a smile. Shina kept running through the darkness, eventually emerging through a door of light. At that moment, she snapped back into reality, with barely a second having passed. Yet, her demeanor had become entirely different. She was no longer shaking, and she didn't realize she now stood tall and stared straight at Dizzy.

Dizzy now begged one more time "Please…I beg of you…RUN!" She was losing the last bits of control she had. Shina suddenly exclaimed "No!", causing Alex to yell into the communicator _"WHAT?!"_ with the utmost disbelief he could muster. However, Shina reached into her ear and threw the communicator right behind her before swinging both her hands in front of her chest and reaching for the second Aurian Drive on her bracelet.

"You asked me to protect your family Dizzy…and you're included in that! We're not going to give up on you!" With a firm smile and confident chuckle, Shina touched down on the stone and a rush of bright white aura flooded out of it. As that light enveloped her, she declared proudly "My name…is Shina Aurora! And from now on the only running I'll be doing…is towards a brighter tomorrow!"

 **Chapter 20: Meet Again II: Awe of She**

Outside the castle, Alex grit his teeth as nothing but static filled his eardrum. "Shina? SHINA!" His panic was clear as day and he quickly turned towards the castle, looking away from Justice after they had been temporarily bound by steel chains around the legs. "She's going to get herself killed! I'm going in!"

Sol, after throwing a large Tyrant Rave at Justice's body, swerved around and was about to say something when suddenly the three combatant's gaze was focused on a bright, holy light erupting out from the castle. It didn't break anything within it and instead seemed to be there for protection. Shockwaves from the pillar lashed out across the devastated city and seemed to slightly mend it's ruined form. Alex stared with widened eyes as the power unleashed briefly washed over him.

"S-Shina…?" Alex murmured, for once left speechless. Sol felt the power as well and remarked "Where the hell is that coming from?"

Chronus, however, took advantage of that reaction to snap the chains binding him like twigs and lunged forward to pluck Sol right out of the sky, boasting merrily "You let yourself get distracted so easily, Flame of Corruption!" Gripping the man tightly, Justice then repeatedly smashed him into the ground. The vibrations that shook the city were enough to get Alex to turn around and try to focus back on the battle.

"Hey!" Alex yelled out to try and grab Justice's attention, and for a moment the titan reared it's head up. But, it was only so it could open it's mouth and launch a beam straight towards the boy. Alex charged straight at the beam with fist drawn out and punched into it, pushing the energy back with some degree of struggle. In the meantime, this distraction allowed Sol to break free of Justice's grip the best way he knew how…By punching it really fucking hard!

This particular punch was fueled by pure magma and melted through Justice's palm, causing the monster to stop it's beam as it roared in pain. But the beast would not get off with that alone as Alex smashed his flame-filled fist right into the titan's nose, crumpling it slightly and causing Justice to collapse on it's back. Alex then cracked his knuckles and remarked "You want to still be in Justice? Fine, but you get the whole package…including all the pain!"

Back inside the castle, Shina was beginning to step forward after the light had spread out across the room. Everyone looked at her in surprise, and she herself took a moment to see what had changed. She was now decked in a thin but form fitting silver chest plate with ridged cups, with her shoulders protected by plates with three tiny wings on each one. Her arms were covered by white leather while her hands now had sapphire gauntlets with the ends pointed up her arm. In her right hand she saw a four foot long, one foot wide sword with a bright silver-blue coating and a handle with upside-down golden wings that allowed it to stay firmly in her grasp. Around her waist was an armored skirt consisting of seven diamond plates, behind them being a pair of firm leather shorts. Stretching down her legs were white stockings that tucked neatly into her lithe, diamond boots. With her head leaning out, she had a few strands of bright aquamarine hair nestle against her cheek and she lifted her head up to look at them for a moment with her now glowing, similarly colored eyes.

With a nod of acknowledgement, Shina looked ahead and felt her heart beating against her chest. This power she wielded felt divine, but it made her a little nervous to have it in HER grasp. Her legs trembled a little as she walked forward, and for a moment she closed her eyes and could feel the aura of the world itself brushing around her feet like a calm, morning tide. It was only the curiosity of Sin that broke her concentration.

"H-Hey…is that still you Shina?" His words made it sound like he was speaking to a different person. Shina looked at him and blinked a couple times, a part of her liking his observation. With a smile she said jollily "The one and only!"

Then she lifted her sword up a little, and as though the aura gave her guidance she suddenly decided to swing it towards Sin to bathe him in a wave of bright, foggy aura. The boy flinched for a moment but then widened his eyes and remarked "H-Hey! The voices are gone!" Shina puckered her lips and seemed surprised, followed by her laying a hand on her chest and letting out a sigh of relief.

She then turned towards Dizzy, who on the very cusp of losing herself to the control of Justice, looked up at Shina's glistening form with blurred vision and remarked "A-An angel…?" Shina started to make a stride towards Dizzy, tightening the muscles around her face into a serious scowl as she raised the sword in her hand straight at Dizzy and declared "Villain! I know you're watching this madness unfold! I don't know where, I don't know why, and frankly…I don't care!"

The aura around her body rose up like a geyser of protection, and as her hair waved about Shina yelled out "It's not enough that you try to impede us, but now you're targeting innocents like Dizzy with your strange powers?! Know that I will not stand for this any longer! If you will bring harm to more innocents, attempt to break apart anymore families, and prevent us from saving my people…Then I will do all in my power to put a stop to your follies, and put an end to your life! Do you have anything to say for yourself, villain?!"

Dizzy suddenly stopped jerking around and raised her head, a devilish smirk on her face. Undine and Necro had similar smirks, but added to that by pointing their hands at the badly injured Ky and Paradigm while charging energy in their fingertips. Shina quickly grabbed her sword in both hands and filled it with aura. Going entirely on the instinct of the aura within her, Shina took in a deep breath and swung her blade twice at the ground.

The waves of aura that flew out created powerful defensive walls right as the energy blasts fired. A pair of explosions went off, but the aura did not waver even though those blasts were strong enough to shake the entire castle. As Necro and Undine looked shocked, Shina glided forward with sword raised above her head, where she then brings it down inches away from Dizzy's body and blasts her with a wave of aura.

Dizzy is flung back through the hole but she quickly landed on her feet while Undine waved her hand out and sent forth a pair of crystal piranhas towards Shina. They seemed harmless enough until they opened their mouths and thin, red blades shot out. Shina swung her sword to the right to break one of the blades and protect her other side with a sphere of thick aura. She was surprised at how quickly she was able to react, but focused more on stopping more attacks from breaking through by thrusting her left hand out and sealing the hole up with the aura from the walls she spawned earlier.

At that moment Sin ran up behind Shina and asked with moderate concern "Do you…really have to fight Mom?" Shina nodded her head and remarked "It's always worked like this Sin. If we can knock her out, then she won't be under anyone's control."

Sin pointed at himself and said in surprise "W-We?" Shina looked back and said calmly "She's counting on you too Sin. I…I know it's tough, but if you don't fight-"

The boy stepped forward and remarked with surprising maturity "Yeah, I know it's not going to be easy. Nothing about this is…It just looked like you were handling this fine on your own." Shina smiled and chuckled a little, rubbing the back of her head before she replied "Yeah well…This is my first time using this Drive, so I'd really appreciate the back-up while I figure things out."

"This is your first time?! Geez, and here I almost thought you were holding out on us…" Sin's remark got Shina to turn her head and gasp "Gosh Sin, I would never do that! It's just that, well…" She would have to save the explanations for later, as she could feel the aura cracking down. Looking at it, she found Necro violently smashing his fists against the wall, drawing on all of Dizzy's otherworldly might until he eventually broke through.

When the aura shattered, Necro immediately drew a long, flaming scythe into it's hands and made good on his moniker by lunging at Shina and attempting to decapitate her. The monster moved so fast due in part to Dizzy's lack of resistance, and this time Shina seemed to not be able to get a defense mounted in time. Luckily, Sin threw his flag down right in the scythe's path and managed to block it, followed by him leaping out and kicking Necro right in the face. With the power of his electricity at his heels, this kick sent the monster flying and dragged Dizzy along through the nearby pillar.

Sin landed and picked his flag up, twirling it around until it pointed at the ground, then he kneeled down and surrounded himself in an orb of electricity. "Let go of my mother you bastard!" Sin exclaimed before launching himself straight at Dizzy, slamming his flag right against her neck and dragging her along towards the wall.

"Sorry I have to do this…" He apologized as he slammed her against the wall and discharged the electricity from his body so it wrapped around her. Pulling back, Sin watched as he mother tore through the walls surrounding the bottom floor's edge, where she eventually wrapped her way back around to Shina. The girl clenched her sword tightly and swung at Dizzy, but hesitated to go through with the sword slash and instead released a burst of aura that broke the electricity and knocked Dizzy back.

However, she quickly stood on her feet and seemed to have suffered minimal damage. Sin remarked in an impressed but slightly concerned tone "Ah crap, mom's tougher than I thought…" Shina twisted her hands to better grip her sword and thought _"The power of this form is crazy, but…I don't want to cut Dizzy up. I can't go for an all-out attack with this huge sword…"_

After she bemoaned that matter in her head, Shina quickly leaped back as Undine brushed a hand out and caused a spike of ice to emerge where she once stood. Shina landed and quickly swung her sword in a second to slice the ice, where Sin then threw a shot of red electricity at it to make a nifty projectile that was thrown right back at Undine. The angelic being swung it's cloak out to block the attack while Necro raised it's arm up and fueled it with clearly explosive energy.

His target? The helpless Ky lying on the ground in front of them. Sin reacted faster than Shina on this and yelled out "Dad!" before vaulting himself forward with his flag. Shina sensed something was off and swung her hand out before remarking "Wait, it's a trap!" It was too late, as Sin stabbed his flag into Necro's arm and pinned it down before the energy could be unleashed. Then, Undine pulled it's cloak back, giving Sin not only a frightening look at his mother's uncharacteristic sneer, but a pair of crystal piranhas that lunged out and bit down into Sin's right arm and left leg.

"G-Ghhh!" Sin grunted as blood spurted out from the bite marks, and Dizzy quickly grabbed her own son by the neck and hoisted him up. She was slowly applying enough strength to break it, while Sin desperately gasped "M-Mom…! You have…have to fight it!" But there was no shred of that good soul left in her body to heed that plea. Only the malice of that strange aura and the whims of that megalomaniac Chronus guided her power.

Shina, angered by what she saw, found herself pouring aura into her sword and leaping right at Dizzy. As she swung her sword back, she failed to notice that the metallic blade was being wrapped in a ring of light that glided from top to bottom, turning the blade into a purely translucent one of aura. With all her might Shina grit her teeth and sliced out at Dizzy's arm, keeping just the tip out to do just the bare minimum of damage needed to free Sin.

However, the blade passed right through Dizzy's arm and only seemed to cut away the aura leading up to her hand. Shina looked confused but quickly had to compose herself so she could flip past Undine and Necro, and as her blade went back to normal she spun around and repelled their attempts to stab her with their hands.

Upon landing on the ground, Shina turned around and thought _"What was that? Did my sword…change?"_ She blinked a couple times as something felt off about Dizzy's body. On the other side, the hand without aura trembled and then swiftly let go of Sin, but then it was once more consumed by the purple aura. Sin used a burst of electricity around his body to destroy the piranhas and then bent down to pick up Ky and throw him back to safety.

"Yo Shina, what was that thing you just did?!" He inquired, expressing sheer glee that he was still alive. Shina blinked a couple more times and then looked at her sword before replying in an uncertain tone "I…severed her connection to her aura?"

"Holy shit, then there's an easier way to free her from the mind control!" Sin proclaimed. Shina looked up as Dizzy turned sideways, pointing Necro at her while Undine pointed angrily at Sin. Swinging her blade out beside herself, Shina turned the blade to aura and thought _"You were right mom…I did need this Drive after all!"_

 _Next Time: Madness of a God_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Meet Again III: The Re-Coming**

In the city, the battle continued to rage endlessly - it would be a great surprise if there was anything left by the time Justice was defeated. At the moment Alex had ripped some chains from the ground and wrapped them around his wrists, using them as flaming whips to scar Justice's chest with hard-hitting lashes. The titan bellowed and opened it's mouth to fire a wide-spreading laser towards Alex.

The boy leaped back and watched as the laser devastated a whole block worth of buildings. Sol then flew right past him and smashed his fist into Justice's snout to force the monster to bite down on it's own energy. Some of it recoiled into it's throat and exploded, bursting holes open in it. Justice took a couple steps back and lurched it's head down while Sol clamped his hands together and after charging fire in them struck a mighty blow into the monster's forehead.

The force of the blow shook the sky with a rippling shockwave of fire, and the monster roared before it's body was forced towards the ground. With a quick slam of it's claws to catch itself, Justice then thrust it's bladed tail at Sol rapidly. The man's speed was enough to keep away from the blade for a little, but then he found himself shocked as his chest was stabbed right through.

Justice hunched up like a gremlin and raised it's claws 'til they were both beside Sol, and then filled the palms with energy from the Backyard. Sol, however, cracked a smirk and placed both his hands on the tail, the fire around him focusing into his palms and started to melt the blade down. While he was doing that, Alex flew in and threw the hardest punch he could at the monster's right wrist, zipping over to the other one for the same attack just in time to divert the orbs' flight skyward.

Then, having detached the tip of the blade from the rest of the tail, Sol ripped it from his body, leaving behind a scar that burned with the luminosity of magma. He put just enough heat into the blade to give it a light glow and then threw it down into Justice's head. Once it was implanted in the skull, Alex dropped down and punched the blade hard enough to stick it between the roof of the monster's mouth and the bottom of it's jaw.

Justice screeched while Chronus let out a great scream of pain and shut the titan's mouth tight, forcing the blade through it's head as a glowing blue ooze secreted from the wounds. "How…dare you!" Chronus groaned in a tone of fitting frustration as he raised Justice's body upright and declared to his foes "You're monsters! Wild and WRETCHED beasts!"

He swung Justice's arms out and smashed the nearby buildings in a frenzy, but Sol just cracked his neck as his wound healed up and then replied "Do you ever shut up? If you have time to bitch, then fight!" Chronus exclaimed while Justice was left lurching forward "Sol Badguy…you don't even care about this world! You have no right…TO LOOK DOWN ON ME!"

Justice's claws lashed out towards Alex and Sol, but the two caught them by the longest one and wrapped it under their arms tightly. Sol grit his teeth and tugged, while Alex let loose fires from his body as he put in the strength to try and rip the claw off. Justice lunged it's palms out and grabbed the two tightly, then leaped forward with great speed, heaving up dozens of buildings in it's wake. Then it threw the two straight at the ground, both of them flying away at high velocities before crashing and tear through hundreds of feet worth of roadway.

Alex, with his fire soul shield protecting him, was able to quickly spin onto his feet and then slide over to grab Sol and carry him behind a nearby alleyway. Justice quickly crash landed a few feet away and a cloud of dust flushed through the alleys. Chronus proclaimed "You think you can hide from me?! The eye of God is all-seeing, all-knowing!" Then he had Justice fire a laser beam down, creating a large explosion that wiped out five blocks worth of buildings.

Alex quickly looked at Sol and remarked "You holding up?" Sol briefly grabbed his right arm and with a swift jerk caused the bones to crack back into alignment. He then stood up and brushed the concerns off bluntly "Bastard's taking too long to die."

"It IS Justice…" Alex found himself sadly bemoaning with a brush of his hand out beside his face. Sol folded his arms and remarked "Take a break, I can handle this for a bit." The man then swiftly leaped out from cover while Alex held his hand out and whispered angrily "Sol…!"

Sol flew right at Justice's backside and punched it right before the monster could fire another laser. The beast whipped the rest of it's bladed tail up towards Sol's chest, with the man flying back and swinging his sword out to repel it. Justice then turned around and swung it's claws at Sol repeatedly. The man used his sword to keep the claws at bay, increasing it's length with blazing fires.

Justice swung both claws down at the same time and Sol gripped his sword horizontally in front of him to block the attack, with the monster using the sharpness of the claws to try and grind down the Junkyard Dog to scrap. As sparks flied furiously through the air, Sol said to Chronus "You're an idiot."

"What?!"

"I don't hate this world. If I did, I sure as hell wouldn't be trying to take you down!" Sol's draconic flames spread out like wings behind him as he charged energy within his sword, splitting it open to reveal the other hotly glowing blade within. Even in his Dragon Install state, it could be seen that he was grinning from the way his jaw moved. Looking Justice in the eyes as the debris on the ground started to be drawn in to him, Sol declared "You think you know what power is…? Lemme redefine your definition of it entirely!"

Before Sol could launch his attack, Alex quickly flew into Justice's face and smashed it with a powerful punch that knock the titan onto it's back. The boy flipped back in front of Sol's path and the man lowered the intensity of his sword while declaring "You outta your frickin' mind?!" Alex swung an arm back and declared "You were about to fire the Saint Ontario! You TRYING to feed that thing more power?!"

"Like that bastard could've taken it!"

"We can't take that risk with that artifact in the picture!" As Alex yelled that out, Justice rose to it's feet again looking no worse for the wear. Sol clamped the Fireseal tightly within the rest of his blade and swung it out, declaring to Alex "Then we need to demolish this thing fast! Not even I can keep this up forever."

Alex waved his hand back and said "Think I don't know that? We just have to keep pounding at it until it breaks." He then drew his sword and flew at Justice, rapidly stabbing the blade into it's chest while flurries of fire shot out from his body. When Justice went to swat him away, Alex turned around and used his might to repel that claw while paying attention to the other, which was charging a laser full of Backyard energy.

The very moment the laser fired, Alex got the hell out of there even as Justice swiped it's claw out to try and get the laser to hit him. The boy then swung around and thrust his hand out to take the very rain around him and throw it at Justice like a spray of hot bullets. The rain turned to steam on contact with Justice's body, but did little beyond briefly obscuring the monster's vision.

Sol lunged ahead and pounded the monster's chest like a hot iron, burying his fist into it's body with every blow until he was deep enough to dip his fingers into the mechanical flesh and tug it right off. While Sol pulled back and heated the metal he ripped off, Alex got close into the wound while charging explosive energy into his palm. Once he threw it into the body as a sphere, Justice opened it's mouth and discharged a massive laser towards Alex.

The boy used another green soul shield to hold the attack back, but the pressure was still keeping him from moving. Then Justice lowered it's claws on both sides of Alex and began to amass a shitton of Backyard energy into two orbs. The shield was swallowed into it, forcing Alex to swing his sword up against the laser before it could damage out, but in doing so he felt his wristbones crack. With a grunt, the boy grabbed his right arm tightly and pushed his body forward, compressing fire hot as the sun in his blade so he could slice right through the laser.

When Justice knew it's efforts were foiled, it twisted it's wrists to fire the spheres in pursuit of Alex, but the boy just grinned and then pulled away from the monster's mouth just seconds before the spheres could touch him. Instead, the spheres ripped right through the sides of Justice's mouth and caused it's lower jaw to slack. Alex then swung the gathered flames at the back of the jaw and sliced it off from the rest of the body. All the while Sol slammed the piece of Justice he ripped off back into place.

Alex snapped his fingers to set the explosive off inside, and the monster's upper body expanded out before a bunch of holes burst open across it's frame. As those holes let out smoldering gases, Justice lurched it's head and glared at the two with it's pale white eyes, with Chronus murmuring "I will not…I will not…"

Then Justice shot upright and let out a roar so loud the rain for miles around just completely vanished from the sky, and all the glass was shattered. Amongst that noise, Chronus yelled "I WILL NOT BE TOPPLED BY YOU DEMONS!" Alex and Sol gripped their swords as the aura flared up around Justice once more. The boy was tense, not because he worried about his fight, but rather cause of his concern towards Shina's situation. He could only take a brief glance back at the castle before focusing on Justice.

Inside the castle, the intensity of the fight had raised quite a bit. The balconies were being ripped apart by Necro and Undine's magic, forcing Shina to spare some aura to keep this part of the building from collapsing. This new Drive of hers gave her an increased supply to work with, but she knew that if she kept this up it would just handicap her more and more.

Dizzy levitated high above the center of the room as Necro draped the side of it's cloak out and fired a spread of lasers down at the enemy. Shina glided around the room and swung her sword out in broad strokes to knock away the lasers she could, while the rest manage to burn through her armor just a little.

"Uuuungh!" Shina moaned with a wince of her eyes before standing her ground and changing her blade to aura. _"Gotta see if this works…"_ She thought in a hopeful tone before taking a swing and firing a large crescent of aura towards Dizzy. The Gear flew to the right but the aura managed to cut through some of it surrounding her left arm. Shina paused with a look of glee before firming her stance and swinging her blade rapidly to send more of those projectiles after her.

Dizzy tucked Necro and Undine into her back and slipped between the crescents as best she could, and the purple aura that was cut away just came back in a matter of seconds. As Dizzy advanced upon Shina, the girl closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the aura within Dizzy, noticing that it seemed to be dwindling.

" _It's working…Just have to keep this up."_

Shina flipped back as Undine popped out and wrapped her arm in an icicle to try and stab through her chest. Dizzy curved her flight up and then summoned Necro, who grabbed Shina by the neck and hoisted her up. Tentacles wiggled free from Necro's sleeve and started to wrap themselves around Shina's face to suffocate her.

Sin came to the rescue by throwing a shot of red electricity into Dizzy, which stunned her and forced the tentacles to retract. Shina took a second to catch her breath and pull Necro's fingers apart, then thrust herself away and upon landing she spread her legs to skid only a little bit. She quickly looked at Sin and found herself getting another idea. She looked at her blade and covered it in a foggy aura, then threw that straight at Sin like a projectile.

The aura surrounded his body for a moment before pooling into a glow around his flag. Sin then held it up with a confused look on his face. "Uhhh, what?" He muttered before Shina yelled out "You might be able to break that aura off now!"

Sin glanced at Dizzy and then spun his flag around, remarking in a barely understanding tone "If you say so…HRAAH!" With that grunt he stabbed his flag out multiple times with covering the tip in red electricity. Undine swung it's cloak out to guard Dizzy from the brunt of damage, but with the aura around the flag Sin was able to put a decent dent into what was surrounding his mother. Undine widened her eyes and then swung her arm out to force a crystal spike to emerge from under Sin.

The boy flipped back loftily and then slid forward with his flag at his feet, skirting along with the red electricity around him until he hit his mom's feet and knocked her up. As he got up he yelled out to Shina "It's your turn!" She had already sprinted forth, with her leaping up and bringing her aura blade down to cut through Dizzy's aura right after. She made a perfect halfway cut and landed on the ground, turning around and throwing a crescent projectile out.

Dizzy flipped over that projectile and landed behind Shina, who quickly turned to face her opponent. But it her reaction was slow, as Undine had turned her arm into an axe and brought it down instantly, delivering a heavy slash against the back of her armor. Necro drew out his scythe and went for Shina's neck, but Sin ran in and stabbed his flag straight out to repel the reaper's blade. By then the glow of aura disappeared from his weapon.

Necro, at that moment, clapped his hands together and set off a string of explosions starting from below Sin's feet and carrying him ten feet away. Shina changed her blade back to normal and smacked Necro in the face with the blunt edge. While the reaper's red-faced reaction was a moment of levity for Shina, she quickly switched the blade back and cut diagonally through Dizzy's aura.

The aura divide more than it had before, and for a moment Dizzy bit her lower lip and looked ready to cry. Shina widened her eyes and paused, feeling that pity and regret beaming right at her. Then the aura snapped back together along with Dizzy letting out a smirk, and Undine brought her axe hand down towards Shina's chest. The girl leaped out and only got a light cut through her armor, and declared as she landed "That was a dirty trick!"

Enraged, she swung her blade in an upward curve and pushed some aura out in an updraft underneath Dizzy. It rapidly battered her body and broke the aura apart, but Necro fought through it in order to aim a devilish bow ripped from it's own bones at Shina. Gathering demonic energy into the front, Necro fired a volley of blasts through the aura and they sped right at Shina.

The girl leaped away a couple times while swinging her sword out rapidly, but one laser slipped through and hit her directly in the gut. It was a hard-hitting projectile that made her widen her eyes and stumble a bit upon landing. She recovered in time to cut down a piranha Undine threw her way, then turned to Sin and threw him another cloud of aura to enhance his weapon.

But the boy was slow to get to his feet and he gripped his stomach, moaning in a taxed voice "I-I'm really running on empty here…" Shina suggested "Maybe it'd be better to have you guard Ky and Paradigm now," but Sin merely shook his head and with a quick upright stand he declared "I'm not stopping 'til Mom's safe, no matter how much my stomach groans!"

Sin threw his flag out like a javelin and Dizzy swerved to the right to avoid it, followed by Undine throwing a couple piranhas out that spat forth the long blades from it's gullet. Sin was stabbed through in the sides of his gut, but he grit his teeth and said "Hope the old man wasn't bullshitting me…!" He charged electricity in his feet and put some of it into the flag planted behind Dizzy. The two connected to each through magnetism and allowed Sin to go flying towards her and deliver a hard kick to her chest.

Sin bounced off and landed on the ground while Dizzy tripped over his flag and went tumbling across the ground. The boy raised his hand up and grit his teeth at the realization of what he was doing before he fired another shot at his mother. Shina fired a cloud of aura at the projectile, and the two wrapped together to allow some of the aura to be pulled away from the body in the impact.

Dizzy rose to her feet with Necro and Undine's help, then glided straight at Sin and grabbed him by the neck before he could escape. He was once more hoisted off the ground, and Necro wrapped his tentacles around his chest to force blood from the recently made stab wounds. "Ghhh…GAAAAH!" Sin moaned in pain, and his agony forced Shina to action.

She kicked her feet up as frantically as she could and ran towards Sin's flag, picking it up and after a briefly slide she ran straight at Dizzy and with both weapons draped in aura she swung them in an 'X' across her body. The aura around her spread out and Dizzy's head jerked back, her eyes turning back to normal for a moment. She involuntarily let go of Sin and he dropped onto his back, barely able to stand.

Shina dropped the flag and watched as Dizzy slowly creaked her body around. She was gritting her teeth and pleaded "I-I can't stop…" Her body lurched off the ground like a marionette as the purple aura erupted around her body again. After a short and heart wrenching scream, Dizzy was dragged to the center of the room and Necro and Undine whipped their hands out in front of Dizzy's chest, charging a black and purple violent energy within a compressed sphere.

The energy lashed out like lightning across the room, smashing through the walls and floor and threatening the already delicate structure of the building. Shina paused and kept up some aura for protection, but looking at Dizzy worried her as with a brief closing of her eyes she saw that her aura was straining itself at the seams. Her body was being pushed beyond it's limits, and that Gamma Ray she was about to fire would likely kill her.

The building shook and Shina slowly held her blade out beside her body, changing it to aura and looking right up at Dizzy. Her knees shook, and she started to pant slowly. _"I-I'm not going to make it in time…!"_ She thought, the tension screwing with her perception of time. Gritting her teeth, even with hesitation trying so hard to weigh her down, Shina proclaimed "No…! I have to go for it!"

Her feet nudged off the ground slightly right as the Gamma Ray appeared ready to fire. Then, out of the blue, a thick crimson arrow-head of electricity flew into the side of Dizzy's body and electrocuted her. The flow of energy into the Gamma Ray ended and the sphere broke apart in a singular burst. Shina paused and thought it odd that such an attack could appear with Sin down. Just a quick glance to the left revealed Ky barely standing with Sin under his right arm and his back to Paradigm.

Ky had a hand raised to his glowing red left eye and quickly yelled "G-Go…!" with a great deal of pain in his voice. Shina turned towards Dizzy and gripped her sword tightly, saying happily to Ky "Thank you!" before she leaped straight at the Gear. Charging her blade full of aura so it gave off a holy glow, Shina focused all her attention on Dizzy's corrupted aura and declared "I'll save you with this final attack!"

Dropping straight past Dizzy faster than a comet while swinging her sword through her, Shina left behind a series of diagonal slashes that created a three-dimensional multi-pointed star that sliced through the remainder of Dizzy's aura. Shina closed her eyes and planted her blade in the ground, declaring with great vigor "Valkyrie Star!" as the star exploded in a glorious burst of light.

Dizzy, finally freed from the strange aura, hovered in the twinkles of aura and smiled. Shina could hear the Gear mutter with all her remaining strength "Thank…you…" She then fell to the ground, Necro and Undine silently retreating into her wings. Shina clenched the top of the blade's handle tightly and murmured "I promise…I won't let that villain get away with this!"

She slowly turned around and looked down at Dizzy, who rested quietly in place. Closing her eyes, Shina could not see Dizzy's aura until a speck of it flickered near her heart. Letting out a sigh of relief, Shina looked up towards Ky and as her vision started to blur she said "She'll be alright…Her aura will come back in a half-hour…"

Her head throbbed for a moment and her legs gave way, forcing her to plant her sword down to stay balanced. She slowly pushed herself up and thought _"H-Huh…? Why am I so…tired?"_ She closed her eyes and looked down at herself, finding her aura retreating into her body. With a chuckle, she realized _"Oh…must've pushed myself too hard…I-I'm not used…to…"_

She wanted to let go of the blade and slump to the ground, but a large chunk of the ceiling then fell to the ground and jolted her awake just a little longer. Looking up, she saw that the whole ceiling was starting to collapse. No one was in any state to run out of here, so with a tight grip on her blade Shina raised it upright and muttered "I-I have to push myself just a little more…"

Outside the castle, Alex looked away from the battle as he saw the wing the others were in collapsing upon itself. Widening his eyes, he had to focus for a moment just to make sure that there was any signs of energy in the ruins. Once he caught a flicker of Shina's power, he let out a sigh of relief and then turned back towards Justice.

The titan was grabbing it's head and jerking itself around madly. Chronus proclaimed in abject confusion "What's going on?! Why can't I control that powerful Gear anymore?!" Sol floated beside Alex and remarked "Looks like your friend pulled out a miracle."

Alex raised his brows and could offer only a puzzled "I-I guess?" before focusing on the ranting madman in front of him. "It's impossible! My control is supposed to be absolute…My power is supposed to be absolute!"

"Yeah…absolute-ly outclassed!" Alex bluntly told the man off, but Chronus slammed Justice's hands against the ground and exclaimed "SILENCE! I will not hear your infantile boasts! You devils…you are damning this world to a premature end!"

Alex brushed his hands out in a mocking manner and said "Oh my GOD do you even hear yourself speak?" Sol added onto that "Guess ripping his jaw off wasn't enough to shut him up." He then smashed his fist into his palm and cracked the knuckles. With Alex giving a nod, the two then flew straight at Justice for another punch.

Justice leaped back while Chronus proclaimed "I will not be SILENCED!" As he landed he reared his body up as tall as he could and opened the plates on his shoulders. Piercing the tendrils of it's hair into voids to the Backyard, Justice began to draw in energy from there to the laser cannons on it's shoulders. The city's debris rose off the ground as the whole planet began to quake in fear of the monster's power.

With a bellowing screech, Justice planted itself into the ground and kept charging. Sol and Alex flew at the titan but their punches bounced off an invisible protective barrier and sent them flying far back. Chronus laughed at declared his victory "You shall perish at my hands! Not even you can survive the destruction of an entire continent!"

Sol grit his teeth and exclaimed "I don't think he's talking shit this time!" Alex raised his gloved hand up and quickly said "Then it's time to throw everything we've got into one last attack!" As the boy clenched his fist tightly, Sol cracked a smile and the two of them dropped onto a heaved up patch of road. Alex kept them magnetized to it and then whispered at the glove "Recognize Password: Lumina and Abraham Whiter!"

The metal plates binding the glove down deactivated, and he took it off and quickly stuffed it into his pocket. An eruption of bright rainbow flames shot out of Alex's hand and crawled up his arm, manifesting as a gigantic extension of his Phoenix wings behind his back. Sol glanced at Alex and noticed that his hand looked decayed, with the skin burnt to a flaky dark green and his veins popping out with a grisly black look to them.

With just a quiet sigh, Sol turned his head and then swung his sword back, charging it to maximum power and giving it a pale white glow. Alex swung his burning fist back and gripped his fingers into the platform. Without another word he sent the two of them flying straight at Justice, who stopped gathering energy from the Backyard and with a slight thrust of it's body out Chronus declared "DIE!" and fired an incredibly massive hot crimson laser.

All in it's wake was destroyed entirely, and with the Backyard fueling it a single touch could wipe out any living being with frightening ease. With their rage fueling their attack, Alex and Sol swung their fists out while proclaiming their moves' names.

"BLAZING OVERLORD FIST!"

"TYRANT RAVE OMEGA!"

Their punches connected at the dead center of the laser. There was silence for just a second before an explosion of raw power spread out and blew away the debris all across Illyria. An eruption of rainbow and white flames spread out like a massive, domed wall and split the clouds apart for miles on end. The sunset skies beyond draped the city in a hopeful ray of light.

Consumed in this maelstrom of energy and fire, Alex and Sol kept up a loud, continuous grunt and refused to give in to Chronus' rage. But if they kept this up, then it would only be a matter of time before they would have no choice but to. Sol's body bent down and his knees started to weaken, and Alex felt his knees dragging against the concrete that was just barely holding up underneath him.

Pain ripped through his body, and he slowly forced his other hand up to grab onto the arm the flames spurted forth from. Gripping it tightly, he barely kept his eyes open as he declared "Come on guys…WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER!" As the laser's might roared in his eardrums, Alex saw as his flames started to roar even louder than that and him and Sol started to push through the Gamma Ray.

Chronus stammered "W-What is this?!" but found himself unable to move Justice. He had sealed his own fate, and death was hastily rocketing towards his location. He could only deny what was coming with a rambling string of "NO"s until the two burned through the Gamma Ray and punched straight through Justice's head. All the fire that trailed them poured into the monster's body and it lurched upright, leaning back as the flames burst through it's body like uncontrollable geysers.

Chronus stared towards the sky with the titan's eyes consumed by fire. Painfully, he lamented what has occurred "Such impossible…power! Is this…a power that surpasses even the infinite…? Was I…just a fool in the end…?" Justice's body, unable to contain all that power, glowed bright neon and rays of power shot out from it's body and burned through the ground and clouds. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Chronus let out one final yell as Justice was ripped apart at the seams, it's parts flying every which way thanks to the massive explosion of fire that went skyward in the form of a pillar.

Alex and Sol, far away from the explosion, didn't even turn around to acknowledge the demise of Justice and Chronus. They dropped to their hands and their forms deactivated. As the rainbow flames spurned again on Alex's hand, he quickly pulled his glove out and put it back on, the magnets clamping together and the boy letting out a grunt of pain. Sol lifted his head up and saw the clouds parting even more. Gone was the oppressive storm, and what was left was a sunset for a better tomorrow.

Sol smiled, a rare sight indeed, and for a second Alex could've sworn he heard him whisper "I hope you like the view…Aria." The boy blinked a couple times and wisely chose to ignore that, brushing his hand out to say "We probably should go check up on the others…"

He slowly started to turned the platform they were on around and let out a disgruntled sigh, commenting as he looked at all the damage to Illyria City "Great…going to have to scavenge through all this shit to find the artifact."

Sol sat back as Alex flew them towards the castle, remarking quietly "It's going to take them months to clean this mess up. Least they got a good leader…" Alex leaned back, planting his hands down and telling him honestly "Being real with you here Sol…I really need a fucking spa trip after this." The man let out a slight chuckle and admitted "That doesn't sound half-bad actually…" The two's advance to the castle would be a slow and relaxed one…

 _Next Time: Motivation Deterioration_


	22. Chapter 22

Finally making it to the ruins of the west wing of the castle, Alex threw away the part of the road him and Sol were riding on and landed in an empty patch of ground amongst the debris. Sol glanced around this endless sea of wreckage, specifically at a couple plates of Justice's body that had lodged themselves into the ground. Alex, on the other hand, raised his hands up to the sides of his mouth and yelled out "Hey! Is anyone out there?!"

There was no response, and after lowering his hands for a moment in anticipation for one he then placed them back up and yelled out "Shina?! Ky?! Sin?! Anyone?!" Sol placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and stood ahead of him, raising his sword up and remarking "Lemme handle this." He then shot out a bullet of fire from his blade to act as a flare.

This got results as the faint sound of Ky's voice called out from afar "Sol? Were over here!" Sol and Alex looked ahead and saw the man cradling a tired Dizzy in his arms, standing in an area with just a bit of the archways still erect. The two walked on over to Ky and found Sin and Shina lying close by him, both of them resting. Paradigm was standing upright behind Ky, and upon looking at the two battle-worn veterans he remarked in surprise "Is that the end of this nightmare?"

Sol nodded his head and with a rough gesture of his hand out remarked "The Conclave's plans are kaput. Even if any of them escaped, they'll have no way of repeating this." Ky let out a sigh of relief and told him "Thank you Sol."

He then looked at Alex and continued "And Alex…If it wasn't for you and Shina, I don't want to imagine what could've happened." The boy folded his arms together and said "What the hell did Shina even do?"

"You're asking the wrong person." Ky replied, a self-deprecating quip at his own confusion. "She went unconscious after using her aura to protect us from the castle crumbling apart."

Alex tilted his head and glanced at Shina laying flat against the ground. Her arms and legs were spread out and her head turned enough to reveal a docile smile. The boy lowered his head and murmured "Guess it can wait…" He then waved his hand out and said to Ky "I still need to find the artifact piece from Justice's wreckage, so I was hoping to get a head count of people who could help me out."

"Well, Sin's unconscious…" As Ky pointed that out, Sol walked over to the kid's resting body and picked him up by the straps of paper around his chest. Without a word he swiftly headbutted him and Sin's eyes jolted awake.

"OW OW OW!" Having regained consciousness, Sin rubbed his throbbing forehead and yelled "What the hell old man?!" Sol dropped him onto his rear and murmured "Nap time's over, you still got shit to do."

Sin quickly stood up and with a finger brandished at Sol told him "You know what old man, I-" His attention quickly swerved to see Dizzy resting comfortably on Ky's arms. His iceberg of anger swiftly melted and he scrambled over to her before letting out a child-like cry of "M-Mom!"

He hovered over her and looked down, and his hand shook as he brushed the hair on the side of her face. She still felt warm, and Sin let out a sigh of relief before he looked over the unconscious Shina and said in a mature tone "Hey…I really owe ya one for this Shina."

Sin backed off, and Ky raised his head up to Alex and continued to answer his earlier question "Well, I want to be here for when my wife wakes up. Ramlethal should be around here somewhere, but I still have no idea what happened to Leo and Elphelt."

"Huh? El's missing?" Sin inquired while putting his arms behind his head. Paradigm was swift to explain "She ran off to help Leo. In fact, the two of them should've been in the same room as us."

Alex sighed and placed his hands in his pockets, saying in a grumpy tone "Alright, alright…I'll try and get a bead on them." He started to close his eyes, but an impact on the ground behind him drew his attention away. He joined the others in looking towards the direction of the person who landed and found Elphelt standing by her lonesome with her head hung slightly.

Alex and Sol wearily glanced at her while Sin was more than happy to see her, yelling out quickly "Hey! You're alright El!" This happy reunion was broken by a very dire, loud, and sudden warning "STOP! That's not the Elphelt you know!"

The voice came from the left of the group, where they found Leo propping himself out of the rubble with a couple bullet wounds in his limbs and blood trickling down the sides of his head. Sin, already halfway towards Elphelt, was distracted by Leo's remark enough for the Valentine to pull out her gun and fire a shot towards Sin. The bullet flew past him and blew up a chunk of debris behind him, freezing the kid entirely.

Ky immediately asked "What are you doing?" to which the Valentine replied in a cold, metallic voice after a few seconds of deathly silence "With Justice's awakening, my mission is complete." She lowered her gun and turned her head, refusing to look anyone in the eyes.

As Alex thought with little surprise _"That's right, I forgot about this…"_ Sol expressed his lack of surprise with a gruff "Heh, figured." That comment was enough to grab Elphelt's attention towards those two, and she opened her eyes. Gone were the emotions that were so vivid and loving. Her gaze was colder than the arctic skies, and her expression as lifeless as a newly crafted doll.

Sin, not understanding the gravity of this situation, carelessly blurted out "Wh-What're you saying…? C'mon El, what's going on?!" Sol had to roughly spell it out for him "She can't hear you. Just drop it."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?! Why won't anyone tell me what the hell's happening?!" Sin's panicked cries were heard by Elphelt, who told him coldly "It's not that difficult. I've completed my objective." Just to drive the nail further into Sin's heart about how much of a puppet she had become, the Valentine's lips moved like someone was typing at a keyboard the words she needed to say.

"Stop screwing around! It's not funny anymore!" Sin yelled out, his tone matching his heartbreak. Elphelt continued to explain "It's not a joke. My original directive was to monitor Sol Badguy and the anomalies."

Alex widened his eyes and thought suspiciously _"Wait a second…"_ as the Valentine continued "I stayed close to you to stay close to them. We had to make sure they wouldn't interfere with our plans. Yes. We couldn't have you destroying Justice…yet, you have. Unfortunate. We also wanted to ensure Sol did not wake up. Ever."

Sol did not sound surprised as he muttered "…Heh, of course." Sin lowered his head and clenched his fists, exclaiming to "No, this is impossible!" only for Elphelt to tell him "You have no reason not to believe me."

"T-Then was…was everything you said a lie?!" Sin tearfully demanded to know, and Elphelt answered right away "Not precisely. My true mission was concealed from myself until now, to make sure I didn't activate too early."

"So are you saying we don't mean anything to you now? Is that it?!" As Sin continued to break down, Sol bit his lower lip and seemed to grimace as Elphelt continued to say "Everything I've experienced has been recorded. A very important piece…of the puzzle…But it's only a record. Only a record…record…"

Her tone started to break down, and he eyes quivered with a watery glow. "How…how can this…be good?! Gnnn…Ahhh!" Sin's eyes lit up a little and he declared "W-Wait…You can fight it?! El, you have to keep trying!"

Sol then broke away from the rest of the group to approach Elphelt, even as Sin yelled his name out to get him to stop. However, to the shock of everyone, Sol grabbed Elphelt by the collar and hoisted her before his face, yelling right into her face "GET BACK HERE!" After the others paused and gazed upon Sol's emotional demand, the man said to Elphelt "All the Valentines had emotions, even I'm not gonna try and say they didn't. So why don't you PROVE IT TO ME?!"

Elphelt's eyes quivered some more, but her responses suddenly stopped. Alex took a moment to look closely at the Valentine's body, and from the angle Sol was holding her he finally noticed a certain curved stone had merged with Elphelt's backside. Gritting his teeth, the boy swung his hand out and exclaimed "Sol! Get away from her! That's not Elphelt!"

Sol yelled out "Not yet it's not!" Alex shook his head and elaborated further "No, that's not what I'm talking about! She has the artifact piece! The same bastard that's been messing with us is controlling her right now!" The man turned his head to the Valentine and murmured "What the hell…?"

An eerie silence draped the land in an veil of gloom for just a few seconds, until that very thing was parted by a slow and chilling chuckle from Elphelt. The Valentine shook with every moment it laughed as it's head slowly creaked to the right to look at Alex. With a black aura slowly coating her body and eyes becoming pale white, Elphelt spoke in an echoed voice that was both hers and another's "So you figured it out. And this cycle…earlier than I had anticipated. Such are the quandaries one must endure when dealing with something as fickle as time, I suppose…"

Elphelt's body suddenly released a burst of black fire that repelled Sol away. The man stepped back and grit his teeth as the Valentine swung her arms out and summoned forth a pair of large, coffin shaped blades beside herself. Black winds wisped around her feet as she opened her eyes and remarked "It matters not. This battle, regardless of who spoke, was always an inevitability that could not be broken."

As Elphelt's eyes started to turn bright red, the being controlling her forced a devilish smile and said "Now how does the script go for this little doll…? That's right…" Mockingly, the voice announced "Elphelt Valentine. Eliminating all redundancies. Without exception." The black winds howled around her body and sent out a wave of red flames that burned across the area around her.

When this was done, Elphelt levitated twenty feet off the ground and her skin and clothes had turned completely black, with maybe a few dark blue lines to indicate where certain accessories lied. Her hair glowed a translucent dark-red and seemed to be in tatters, while her eyes secreted bloody white tears. Those swords she summoned had gained a feathery black wing on top of them, but both of them were in the midst of molting at a rapid pace. Finally, the artifact piece now wrapped itself like a collar around her neck. Staring down at Alex, Elphelt remarked "But make no mistake of the timing or nature…I always look forward to our conversations, Phoenix of Destruction."

 **Chapter 22: Marionette**

Alex gripped his fists tightly and looked up at Elphelt, exclaiming to the being controlling her "If you're so excited, then why don't you show yourself instead of hiding behind others?!" He got an immediate response in a condescending tone "You are very bold to demand anything from me. It is not the whim of fate for us to meet directly. Not yet, anyways. Can you even guess who I am?"

Alex grit his teeth, but it was Sol who exclaimed what he wanted to say "Then just who the hell are you?!" Elphelt's eyes shut and she remarked "I am everything and nothing. I am the between and the beyond. I follow not the follies of good, nor do I listen to the insanities of evil. I simply **am** , that is all I shall ever be."

"So you're a smartass. Fine, then you can talk shit to our faces. Elphelt has nothing to do with this." Sol said with some frustration, and the being remarked with not even a millisecond of pause "You seem to believe idle threats mean something to me. How curious that a little fire ant would have such a non-lethal bite."

"Excuse me?"

"Know your place, Flame of Corruption. Your tiny embers cannot even hope to stand before such an old and towering oak." The being mocked Sol so nonchalantly that even the man found himself silent in their words. Alex, however, thrust a pointer finger out towards Elphelt and exclaimed "Fine, if you aren't going to tell us who you are, then what the hell are you after?! You've caused trouble on three worlds now, and you clearly know about me and the artifact pieces. Are you working for that Gravitus bastard?!"

"My work is a solo piece. A symphony of ruination meant only for your deafened perceptions, Phoenix of Destruction. To suggest that such a vociferous, barbarous buffoon would have a part in this…Well, I suppose I have come to expect such a lack of common sense from you by now."

Stamping his foot on the ground and erupting in an aura of flames, Alex exclaimed "Answer the damn question!" The being replied "And also a lack of equanimity too…Fufufu. Your screaming antics are always something even I can enjoy, at the least."

"…Very well. You have managed to survive this far. I suppose the begging rabbit deserves to nibble from the carrot of truth every now and then." The being closed Elphelt's eyes and continued to explain "My goals are simple, but they are mine alone. I want to break you, Phoenix of Destruction."

Wincing in confusion, Alex raised his brows and said "Break…me? What, do you have some grudge against me?! I sure as hell know I've never met you before!" The being let out a hollow laugh and remarked "That's a certainty more iron-clad than the gates barring it, but you are always once more being arrogant about your position in the world. We have met, but it's alright…You can dig as deep as you can into those locked away memories, but you'll never remember my name or face until you see it again."

Sol gripped his sword tightly and commented "Sounds like a shitty grudge to keep then." The being coldly told him "And you are certainly the person to be telling me that, Frederick." Sol folded his arms together and remarked "So you're just like these two. You're from another world."

"Not in a physical sense, from a certain perspective. Let us just say where I sit is a world beyond that of mortals and even gods."

Sin swung his fist out and exclaimed "I don't get a lot of what's been said, but are you trying to justify how you're treating El?! You won't get away with this!" Sol tensely gripped his fists and exclaimed "Ky, get your loud-mouth son and the others out of here! This isn't your problem anymore!"

"I'm not going anywhere old man!" Sin yelled. Alex turned his head and with a furious expression told him "Yes you are!" Sin's expression tensed up in shock, and with a calmer tone Alex pointed back towards Shina and said "Just make sure she's safe." He then faced Elphelt and drew his sword. With some hesitation, the group behind the two went off to a safer location, carrying the fainted in their arms.

"Fufufu…you try to act all caring, Phoenix of Destruction, but I know the truth. You self-absorbed, pitiful husk of a human…" The being continued to speak with Elphelt not even moving a muscle beyond her mouth. Alex's eyes widened into a fierce glare, and the being spoke out against those emotions "Sarajin chose the worst possible vessel to continue his legacy. The continued destruction of this universe is all his fault."

"…Sarajin?" Alex murmured in confusion. The being chuckled before telling him "The Elemental Overlord, of course. That foolish man didn't even have the courtesy of telling you his real name. Then again, were I to step in those lead-weighed shoes, I too would be ashamed of my name."

Elphelt's head creaked up, to give the glare from the being a more haughty presence as they continued "But I would not be so arrogant to compare myself to the gods instead." Sol commented at that "You seem pretty damn arrogant to me."

"This is not arrogance, Flame of Corruption. Fufufu…I am merely confident in what I say and do. After all, I KNOW who I am. Can you claim the same?"

Sol raised his head up and remarked "I am alive, that means I am still me. There may be a lot of crap in this world, but I'm not going to trade it away for anything else." Elphelt clapped her hands slowly and mockingly, with the being saying to his heartfelt response "Truly, a welcome realization to top off your particular anecdote. But…I was not speaking to you."

Sol glanced over at Alex, who was looking away and appeared deep in thought. The boy flinched as he saw Sol's puzzled stare, and then looked back up at Elphelt while feigning the confidence to say "I-I'm Alex Whiter, the Elemental Overlord of this time period. If evil like you is going to threaten these worlds, then I will do everything in my power to take you down!"

Elphelt's hands were held out, and the being said to the boy "Evil…tell me, do you have the maturity to truly say such a bold thing? Cause from my perspective, YOU are the evil one. That means, by your logic, you should kill yourself. I would rather you not quite yet, but perhaps you need to rethink what you just said…"

"And just how am I evil? I'm cleaning up the messes that YOU'VE been making!"

"Really now?" The being made Elphelt's arms gesture towards the debris of Justice lying around the ruins of the castle. "What of this is clean? You have broken Justice…you have changed the preset course of history for your own selfish ends."

Sol remarked "What the hell are you talking about now?" The being swiftly replied in an aloof manner "Flame of Corruption, you have experience with multiverse theory, do you not? After all, that witch killed your past self right before your very eyes."

"…Yeah, what about it?" Sol said tensely.

"In the original set of events, one that precluded the interference of the Phoenix of Destruction, you would've broken through Justice but not completely destroyed her when St. Elmo's Fire struck."

"But because of your damn interference, we had no choice but to destroy Justice!" Alex pointed out angrily. The being laughed at that, giving off the vibe that nothing could make her acknowledge such accusations seriously.

"No choice? What, exactly, prevented you from keeping history the same? Think back…I have done absolutely nothing to force you to change the course of history."

"Yeah, cause those damn auras you've been thrown around like the plague are just a cosmetic change, right?!"

"No, but they are a necessary power to give if these beings hope to stand a chance against a demon."

"Bullshit. At least when Towa and Mira used these kinds of auras, they didn't bother to hide their crimes!"

"Fufufu, do not compare me to long-dead demons, Phoenix of Destruction. After all, you, of all people, should know better than to comment on people borrowing power from dead universes."

Alex paused and tensed up. That was the first bit of knowledge this being of spoke that got under his skin. This forced Sol to take up the stance against the being by asking them "And just what do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is there is a difference in how I handle those auras compared to those two would-be conquerors. Specifically, instead of drawing from the wellspring of one's life energy, I use the artifact pieces of the Grand Cosmic Aurian Sage as a means of pulling out one's greater potential. They act as the perfect conduit, as with them I can search the very auras of the multiverse itself to find a specific point in time in which one's fullest strength can be realized in the current possibility the artifact is attached to."

"I see, so what you're saying is that Justice could eventually have turned into that thing even without your help." Sol commented, feeling a bit disturbed to have figured that out. The being nodded Elphelt's head and continued "But…that is only a possibility."

"I don't think it makes a damn difference. You're still causing chaos. Or are you going to try and wiggle out of the blame of trying to control Dizzy too?!" Alex exclaimed suddenly. Elphelt's head shook as the being remarked "It was necessary to provide the girl with the motivation to awaken that power. So long as you drag her towards ruination, she needs all the protection she can get."

"Bull! SHIT!" Alex erupted with fire and screamed to the being "Stop hiding behind these shitty justifications! You're fucking evil!"

"I am not the one hiding. If I was, I would not have even bothered with this conversation in the first place. You should look at yourself and realize just who is hiding in an instant. But denial is the strongest chain you have to hold that beast at bay, isn't it?"

Alex grit his teeth and snarled, only stopping when Sol lays a hand on his shoulder and remarks "They're just trying to piss you off. You'll get your chance to stop them later. Right now, we need to break Elphelt free from this bastard's control." He then glared up at Elphelt, with the being telling them "Sure enough. That's how history must go. But beforehand…I am growing a bit tired of the hypocritical dreamer and that so-called 'Universal Will' filling my eardrums with their garish whines."

Elphelt's hand raised up, and suddenly the perimeter of the castle ruins began to shake. All across the city, the pieces of Justice's body were wrenched from the surface and levitated high above Alex and Sol. Sol grit his teeth and could only mutter "Son of a bitch…" as Justice was made whole so easily it could be compared to a child piecing a puzzle together. When the titan was completed, the being remarked "Let this be a gift to silence those voices for good, and to set the timeline right on track."

"NO!" Alex yelled out before throwing his hand up and firing a large fireball towards Justice before it's fully completed. However, a gap opens up in the sky and swallows the fireball, disappearing just as quickly as it reappeared. Justice was then covered in a red energy that warped it away, with the being remarking in a reprimanding manner "You just can't stop those selfish desires of yours, can you? If you must be destructive, do it to yourself…Leave these other worlds out of it."

As Alex swung his fist out and looked towards the being, they lowered Elphelt's eyelids and remarked "Of course, there's still the matter of this love-yearning puppet…When I have finished using her, I shall let her be returned."

Alex looked to Sol and said "Get out of here, this isn't your fight anymore!" Sol cracked his knuckles and grumbled "Like hell it isn't." The being faced Sol and remarked "Fufufu…It is true. He has taken the Oath of Destruction. Those who blindly stand at your side, Phoenix of Destruction, I shall break them apart as well."

Elphelt's right arm stayed raised, and the being remarked one last time "Shall you survive to ruin another world? Or does this pathetic tale of yours end with your writhing in pain and guilt? …Fufufu, I look forward to seeing you again, regardless of this outcome." As their voice faded away, Elphelt began to summon some weapons around her. They were pitch black muskets that were each almost twice as tall as herself.

They kept appearing until there were at least five dozen of them in a wall around Elphelt. Sol and Alex grit their teeth, with the man saying in a dry, humored tone "Think she has enough weapons?" Alex replied "Heh…a couple dozen more and it'd be a threat."

Then, Sol took up a proper tone and remarked "Kid…No, Alex. Don't listen to what that monster had to say. We've both walked down this road too long to stop now. Are you going to let some words be an obstacle in your path?"

Alex looked away for a few seconds. Perhaps those words did mean something to him after all…But nevertheless, he shook his head and said "No, I can't let that stop me, but…W-We're kinda running on empty, aren't we?"

"Can't use my Dragon Install so soon. You can't use that other form of yours?" Sol's question got Alex to nod his head. The man then pounded his open palm and said "We just need to get that stone off of her. Lets go!"

"Right!" The two then charged straight towards Elphelt, who pointed the muskets straight at them and began firing. A symphony of "bangs" filled the air as crimson bolts of energy shot out towards the duo. Alex and Sol swung their swords in hard strokes to repel the attacks, but each bolt gave birth to a small explosion that kept pushing the two away from Elphelt. With so many guns to deal with, that progress would remain minimal.

" _Come on Alex, you have to push the advantage!"_ Alex grit his teeth and tried to sense out what type of energy the bolts were made of. When he couldn't recognize an element from them, he realized _"This must be light-based. Fine, then in that case!"_

He turned his blade into a reflect metal and sent a couple of the bolts back at the muskets, blowing them up and opening a hole in the fire for him to charge ahead at Elphelt. The Valentine lowered some higher muskets to replace them, but Alex swung a hand out and clamped down on the barrel of one to make the energy build up and explode. This set off a chain reaction that destroyed a few more muskets around. He then threw his sword into the other hand and took a swipe at Elphelt's neck to try and get the artifact.

She floated back and the blade only nicked the stone, followed by her gesturing to push most of the muskets away from her body. She ripped one of them from it's flight and brandished it at Alex with finger already pulling the trigger. Alex swerved his head and the shot grazed the side of his face, followed by him slashing against at the artifact. Elphelt pulled her head back and pulled another musket out, pressing the barrel against Alex's chest before pulling the trigger. Sol leaped in and got a good punch on Elphelt's elbow to throw the trajectory of the shot off. He then shunted his other arm out to go for the artifact, only for Elphelt to throw one of her swords in the way and cause Sol's hand to slant up and his wrist bones to crack.

Elphelt shot up to avoid Alex's slash and then kicked off his face to curve around her sword and fire a musket off right into Sol's face, blowing him down towards the ground. Then the other muskets fired upon him, repeatedly raising and ramming him against the ground. Elphelt's glowing veil was grabbed from behind by Alex, but the Valentine flipped both her muskets around to smash the barrels against the sides of the boy's head and throttle his ability to concentration.

Elphelt then backflipped over him and tried to crush him like a pancake between the dull sides of her blades. Alex thrust his hands out and unleashed a burst of air to send the blades away, but Elphelt then sent him flying with a couple seething shots to the back. With smoke steaming from burns on his skin, Alex turned around and swung his right leg up for an electrified kick.

The Valentine sacrificed the muskets she held to block the attack, but then raised her familiar pistol to repeatedly pound Alex's face with black energy bullets. The fourth shot, stronger than the others, sent the boy spiraling backwards until he crashed through a couple pillars and tumbled to the ground. He sprung to his feet quickly but had a white reticule surrounding his body. Elphelt had pulled her own sniper rifle and was set to fire.

Her disruption came in the form of a flame fired off the top of off slanted debris by Sol. The man used two Gun Flames to keep her from firing the rifle until he could leap out and make an attempt to grab the artifact. One of the swords blocked the way again, but this time Sol grinned and smashed it aside with the bottom of his own sword. With the Junkyard Dog roaring with fire, the man blasted Elphelt as hard as he could with a Tyrant Rave.

The Valentine, with her clothing tattered by embers, was caught by the other sword and quickly aimed her sniper rifle at a descending Sol. He threw out a flickering green barrier to protect himself from the shot, but was recoiled right into a wall of ten muskets that shot point-blank against his back. Sol let out a grunt but stabbed his sword into the ground to avoid being launched, at the cost of twisting his arm's muscles as he used the momentum to spin around and then destroy the muskets with another Tyrant Rave.

However, this opened him to a sniper shot that pierced right through the center of his back. Blood shot out of Sol's mouth, and he gasped in noticeable pain. Before he was hit again, Elphelt was brought crashing down by a towering, powerful thunderbolt. Alex had swung his hands down and concentrated as hard as he could to pin the Valentine to the ground, keeping up that intense pressure even as the battleground violently quaked and threatened to break apart.

It was only by pushing against the lightning with the blunt edges of her blades that Elphelt was able to get up, albeit not without getting cracks in the swords. Elphelt raced forward, a machine on an unstoppable warpath that made dust of the debris in it's path, until finally stopping right in front of Alex and whipping her pistol out directly under his chin.

He quickly squeezed onto her wrist and jerked the pistol away, but the edge of the bullet she fired cut into the skin on his cheek and sent burning pain through his nerves that dulled his strength long enough for Elphelt to break free of his grip. She aimed the gun and fired off two shots into Alex's chest, but before she could any further than that Sol grabbed her by the back of the head and turned around to slam her into the ground.

The pain in his arm prevented his grip from lasting, and Elphelt flipped back and drew her swords over to her along with all the other muskets she had left. She then flew into the air a fair distance away, watching as Sol laid a hand on his damaged arm while Alex clenching the burning skin on his chest and tried to cool it down, barely able to manifest the ice needed for that.

"Never been pushed like this before…" Sol grunted as he tugged on his arm to force the bones back into alignment, letting out a raspy grunt right after. Alex swung his arm out to draw his sword and commented "I-I'm not going to drop to me knees yet! I still have plenty of energy to spare!"

Sol looked towards Elphelt as she once again pointed the muskets their way. "Then don't stop! Put everything you've got into finishing this!" Alex exclaimed in agreement "Right! This is our last stand!" With guts of steel and an undying willpower, the two charged straight at the possessed Valentine to put an end to this long-winded conflict…

 _Next Time: As Things Should Be_


	23. Final Chapter

**Final Chapter: Coming Home**

Elphelt kept up a relentless assault from her muskets as Sol and Alex engaged in a valiant charge to free her from the control of the artifact. The bolts from her weapons came out much faster than before, forcing a degree of defensive swings from the two that their bodies just couldn't keep up anymore. Alex did a fast set of rolls to the left to get behind debris that would offer him a few seconds of protection.

Coating his sword in reflective metal, he quickly peeked over the debris and flung the blade out like a boomerang, causing the bolts to fly every which way when they hit it. Some of them went back to their original location and blew up the guns, while the others blew up the towering ruins of the castle. Alex grabbed his sword on the return and then flung his hand out to send some of the falling debris right at the Valentine, blocking her vision in a cloud of grainy rubble when it broke apart.

Sol pulled out from the debris he was behind to run over to the Valentine's location, setting his fist on fire and leaping straight up to hit her in the chin with a firm uppercut. Elphelt was launched out of the cloud and immediately snagged by the legs thanks to a bundle of vines from Alex. The boy slammed his hands on the ground and dragged her out of the sky towards Sol.

The man was ready to try and grab the artifact upon her landing, but then the Valentine's swords clipped the vines like shears would and Sol jerked his hand back before he lost it. Elphelt broke her descent with a burst of air and then parted the swords so she could lunge at her foe. She whipped her pistol out and unloaded a few shots into the man's face.

However, to the Valentine's surprise, he was as unflinching as a wall and rammed his forehead right into hers. Blood dripped out from Sol's head and he grit his teeth, but kept his focus entirely on the artifact and once more tried to go for it. The swords started to come down to stop him, and unlike with the bullet Sol feared a mortal blow and drew his hand back. Elphelt took advantage of his humanity to stick a small bomb to the man's chest and leap back.

The bomb blew up into a cherry colored cloud and Sol quickly dug his feet into the ground to avoid being sent too far back. He swung his head up and watched as Elphelt levitated off the ground and aimed her sniper at him. Alex came to the rescue by leaping in front of Sol and swinging as fast as he could to deflect the blast into a pile of debris.

Alex grunted and held his right arm at the elbow. Sol remarked "Those swords are a pain in the ass…" and Alex said "I-I might have an idea on how to get past them. Hold her off for a bit, I need time to charge."

"Don't do anything crazy…" Sol replied while walking ahead of him. Alex dispels his blade and reaches into his right pocket, pulling his left hand back and tensely holding his fingers apart. "Can't make any promises on that!" He yelled in a nonchalant manner. Then he bent down and spread his legs, focusing all the fire he could muster into a condensed, slowly growing orb.

Sol ran towards Elphelt and slid the bottom of his blade against the ground to send a Gun Flame flying at her. She flew to the left to dodge it and then gathered twelve muskets into a cylindrical frame before her, firing the bolts in a steady, rotating stream. Sol punched the ground and an eruption of magma went up and stopped the first salvo.

For the second salvo, Sol grit his teeth and remarked "What a pain in the ass…" He then swung his arms out and made the area shake by activating his Dragon Install, which allowed him to stand still and take all the attacks effortlessly. However, he dropped right out of the form and found his head throbbing in pain. Grabbing onto the side of it, Sol looked up and saw Elphelt preparing for a third salvo.

The man gripped his sword and set it on fire, charging forward a little bit before delivering a slash ahead so hard it left behind a explosive looking ball of fire. Spinning around, Sol set the ball off with an ember and a string of blasts launched out and struck the muskets. As they blew up, Elphelt shielded herself with her swords.

Alex widened his eyes and gripped the Gaia Temporis in his pocket tightly. _"Don't know unless you try…"_ He thought, his heart beating fast as he prayed this move of his would work. The stone started to glow in response to his thoughts, and as he felt his body preparing to jump through time and space he declared "WARP FLAME CANNON!"

In the span of milliseconds, Alex crossed the battlefield and his body zipped out of a dimensional rift behind Elphelt. Thrusting his burning palm straight ahead the very moment he left the rift, Alex unleashed a powerful beam of fire upon the Valentine right as she happened to part her swords. Elphelt was pushed straight towards Sol, but those very swords were flying right after her.

" _No! It's still not enough!"_ Alex angrily grit his teeth as his head started to throb in pain. He couldn't move right away and the swords were already in mid-swing to protect the Valentine. Suddenly, the swords were stabbed through by a pair of incredibly thin and sharp red blades and dragged away from Elphelt, both of them pinned against a pair of pillars that still somehow stood.

Alex looked ahead in that brief moment and saw Ramlethal holding her arms out and struggling to keep the blades of hers out. "S-Save her…Save El!" She expressed herself with genuine heartbreak at what has occurred. Sol quickly locked Elphelt in a hold around her arms and legs as she turned around, and with all his energy going into keeping her there he yelled out "You heard her…END THIS NOW!"

The boy did not hesitate. With a nod of the head he dove straight down to Elphelt and thrust his left hand at the artifact piece. Swiping it right off of her neck without damaging her skin, Alex landed on the ground and slammed the stone down, feeling as the malicious and tormenting aura surrounding Elphelt broke away. Alex's heartbeat, once pounding his chest like a violent drum, started to relax as he glanced down at the stone and could finally say "Now…this battle is over."

He slowly stood up and glanced at Sol as he let go of Elphelt. Despite the aura being gone, the Valentine's body was still black and white, but she showed no further signs of resistance and dropped to her knees. The artifact's control had taken a lot out of her. Even so, Alex leaned forward and exclaimed "Hey! Are you still listening in you bastard?!"

There was no response, and the boy stood up and looked at the stone. With a disgruntled sigh, he remarked "Guess they aren't going to bother anymore…" Placing the stone in his pocket for now he thought _"This isn't over…I'll find you someday, whoever you are…"_

Sol waved his hand out towards Elphelt and remarked "Hey, can you hear us?" When they were silent the man tried to lay a hand on her shoulder only for a bright red energy field to start surrounding her. It felt nothing like the teleportation magic that carried Justice away, and in fact had a solid form as it completely wrapped around her.

Sol recognized this magic and yelled out "No!" as the sphere lifted a little bit off the ground and spun around. Elphelt, who had her head hung tiredly, lifted it up slightly to look Sol in the eyes. The man stared at her for a few seconds, his expression equally tired, before suddenly raising his right fist and smashing it into the sphere surrounding her. The energy fizzled but did not budge, and in her robotic voice the Valentine murmured "There's no point in trying. This is Absolute Defense: Fellion. You can't break through it."

"Shut UP!" Sol went for another punch, then another. Even this weak, his punches felt like they struck with the same impact as they always do. Elphelt dully told Sol "Stop it. You should know better than anybody else, this is pointless."

The man's expression did not change and he kept punching the sphere. Alex stood by, noticing how the fabric that composed his gloves tore away with each strike, and soon enough the skin around his knuckles would buckle down under the pressure and begin to bleed. Even though he was fighting an impossible fight, Sol's will would not stagger and he expressed to the Valentine "Me? What the hell do I know. All I'm trying to hit is one of those memories you seem to have forgotten."

"A memory…?" Elphelt was understandably confused, with Sol telling her with his usual bluntness "Heh. You really know how to get on my nerves, don't you? Nobody tells me something's impossible. When I tried to go into the Backyard after Justice, you stopped me. Now, I figure that was part of your plan."

The Valentine paused and gulped. Sol's voice started to break a little, that incredibly thick layer of stoicism and roughness peeling away and exposing the kinder side of him as he told Elphelt "But the reason you gave me…something about how people shouldn't be alone. If that's not a lie…" He reeled his bruised and bleeding fist back, and with all his might thrust it forward and yelled "THEN PROVE IT TO ME!"

It was not just his fist that struck the sphere. Alex had joined in as well, putting all his might into a punch that would ultimately leave the bones of his hands cracking as he pressed it against the Absolute Defense. Their combined strike made the sphere react differently than before, as a pink static flew wildly within. They still could not break the Absolute Defense, but there was a glimmer of hope that they might've been able to had they had the strength to continue.

Elphelt, suddenly wide-eyed in disbelief, ended up cracking a tiny smile and with a warm glance at the two she said "Thank you…" Her body was wrapped in a bright white light, and upon it fading away her appearance had returned to normal. A couple tears began to form in her eyes as she told Sol "I'd love nothing more than to do that…"

Sol and Alex pulled their fists back as the sphere began to raise higher. Suddenly from behind the two, Sin called out to the Valentine "El…? A-Are you back to normal…?" Elphelt looked out towards everyone who was there. All the people she had met and shared memories with over the past few days had gathered in this location. Her tears became thicker and began to leak from the edge of her ducts.

"I'm sorry, but…I can't fight Mother's will." Still kneeling down, she held her hands against her chest and said "I'm sorry. I really, really did love making friends with you. With all of you! And I'm going to prove I wasn't lying." Then, with a burst of energy that shook the area, Elphelt's body glowed brightly, like she was on the verge of overloading.

Sin exclaimed in a panic "H-Hey, you're not gonna self-destruct, are you?!" Elphelt clenched her hands together tightly and began to tremble. Her voice betrayed her own fears as she bravely told the others "This is the only freedom I have left…"

"You goddamn idiot!" Alex and Sol yelled out tearfully as they leaped up and tried to punch the sphere again. Elphelt smiled for just a moment before breaking into a painful tone "If this was how it was going to end…I wish I'd never been given emotions…If this is all they lead to…"

Her smile could only last so long though. Even bravery had to someday cave to the reality of death's cold embrace. Frightened, Elphelt opened her watering eyes and begged to know "…Why did I have to have feelings anyway?!" Alex and Sol could only look on in disbelief as the Valentine was just seconds away from exploding.

However, what could've ended in a tragedy was suddenly stopped, as the energy died down within Elphelt's body and left her and most everyone who watched looking on in sheer confusion. That is, until Alex and Sol looked over their shoulders and saw Ramlethal with her hand raised up, having done the same thing her sister had done to her not too long ago. Ramlethal raised her head and expressed herself "Emotions are very important. I understand that now."

"What…?" Elphelt could not understand. Ramlethal pointed up at her and said "Mother is mistaken. You and I are not tools. You are unique to me. And to Sin and Shina. So…I'm going to save you!" Ramlethal's eyes began to water, a feeling she found unfamiliar yet at the same time natural.

"I promise. I'm coming! Hold on!" She swung her hand up towards Elphelt, who continued to grow more and more distant with every passing second. Elphelt laid her hands against the front of the sphere and declared "O-Okay! I will! I will! I'll wait! As long as it takes!" The last thing anyone there saw of Elphelt was her smiling wide with tears trickling down her cheeks. Her body was dragged into the sky and thrown into a black and purple void that quickly sealed up.

There was nothing but a calm wind blowing by the group for a good minute, everyone taking their time to think until Sol suddenly turned around. Ky remarked in an empathetic tone "Sol…" but the man bluntly remarked "What? Bunch of touchy-feely bullshit…"

He didn't do a good job of hiding his true feelings, but Sin was the only one ignorant to that as he let out a confused "Wh-what?" However, the man swung his sword over his left shoulder and strolled by Ky and Sin, remarking in his usual gruffness "What the hell are you standing there for? We gotta go get her back."

Under his breath, only Alex was able to hear him murmur "I'm not losing anybody else…" The boy turned his head and remarked "So this is where we part ways, huh?" Sol paused for a moment, as did Ramlethal and Sin as they were about ready to join him.

Alex cracked a smile, then with a nervous scratch of the side of his head he admitted "Hey…what you said before? About…you know?" Sol glanced over his shoulder as the boy told him "I'm not going to lose anybody else either."

Sol briefly grinned and looked back, waving his hand out and saying "Don't be a stranger, kid." Him and his two allies started to head off, with Sin putting his arms behind his head and remarking "Awwww, the old man's made a friend." That earned him a well-deserved punch to the back of the head, and that would be the last Alex would see of them before they walked out of view.

The boy took a couple steps forward until Ky noticed him, then with a turn of the head he asked "So where's Shina at?" Ky remarked "She was about to wake up last I saw her. She should be over…" As he pointed his hand out, him and Alex saw Shina slowly walking out from behind the nearby pillars.

She stretched her arms up in a yawn and then waved to the others to say "Hey…" As she walked over, Leo laid a hand on his chin and remarked "I'll leave the three of you alone. Doctor, perhaps we should start organizing the reconstruction?"

Paradigm nodded his head, looking out to the ruins and saying "We have a lot of work ahead of us. But I am looking forward to working with you, King Leo." Those two departed, continuing their conversation about cleaning Illyria up.

Once Shina got close to Ky and Alex, Ky held his hand out and asked "Are you feeling alright?" Shina gave a terse nod and looked around, commenting in a puzzled tone "Did everyone make it out safely?"

"Yes, everyone's fine." Ky said in an assuring tone. Shina widened her eyes and asked "Even Dizzy?" Ky quickly answered "She's still resting, but she's otherwise unharmed. You have my utmost thanks, both of you."

He humbly bowed to the two of them, and Shina giggled with a blush in her cheeks while scratching the side of her face "Aww, it was nothing, honest!" Ky stood up and chuckled, moving his gaze between them both while mentioning "Well, I'll never think of it like that. I wish you two could stay around, but I know you have higher priorities…"

"Not to mention things aren't going to die down anytime soon with Justice and Elphelt in the hands of the enemy…You're going to have a lot on your plate, Ky." Alex said with a brush of his hand out towards the King. Ky nodded before mentioning "Even so, if you somehow find yourselves in this neck of the universe…Please, do not hesitate to visit. I'll welcome you with open arms."

Ky rubbed the side of his head and mentioned "That felt weird to say…" Alex folded his arms together and admitted "Eh, you'd probably get used to it." The man let out a humored chuckle and then with a turn of the body raised his hand up and remarked "Have a safe journey you two." He then left, likely to go pick up Dizzy and take her someplace more suited for resting.

Alex let out a sigh now that it was just him and Shina. She was looking at him, but not with a curious glance like he was expecting. Instead she appeared hesitant, as though something was on the tip of her tongue but she just wouldn't let it go. The boy murmured "Oh yeah…" and reached into his pocket to pull out the artifact piece. He wiggled it out between two fingers and said "Took long enough to get this. Had to blow up Justice and beat up Elphelt without any breaks, and lemme tell you…I really need a vacation."

"O-Oh!" Shina's eyes lit up and she took the artifact piece right out of Alex's hand. Looking it over, she murmured tensely "Three down, two to go…" The boy pulled out the Gaia Temporis and used it's power to shrink the space the stone occupied so it would be able to fit in with the other two pieces. Shina plucked the rest of the artifact from her pocket, and as she began to fit it together she asked "Wait, so you had to fight Elphelt?"

"Yeah, she somehow got hold of the artifact after it flew out of Justice."

Shina remarked with a bit of sadness in her voice "Oh…so that already happened." She put the artifact back into her pocket and held her arm there for a moment. She put another hand on her elbow and said "I wish I could've been there for El, or said goodbye to Ram and Sin…"

Alex glanced to the left and remarked perhaps a little too coldly "There's nothing you could've done for Elphelt." Shina said to him "I know…but I don't feel right leaving things like this."

The boy looked away and let out a sigh. "Frankly, I don't either, but without the artifact screwing things up Sol and the others should be able to handle the Universal Will." At that moment, lingering on that thought caused Alex's mind to feel like static was running through it, and he could just vaguely make out Sol's later conflicts.

"… _What the hell? I-I should be able to remember that much…There had to have been a sequel to Sign…"_

He muddled in his confusion until Shina tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He swerved his head to look at her and coarsely asked "Hey…" He considered asking about this discrepancy in his memories, but figured that he likely was just having difficulty after being roughed up so much.

Folding his arms tightly and letting out a sigh, he coarsely asked "What do you want?" Shina retracted her arms behind her back and said "Well…I wanted to talk to you about something."

Alex snapped his fingers away from his arms and remarked in a forcibly cheery tone "Now that you mention it, so do I!" He then turned his head and with a glare asked "You mind explaining what the hell kind of power I was sensing from you earlier? After that whole spiel of ME not taking things seriously I swear to god-"

Shina swung her hands out before her chest and mentioned "I-I can explain! I swear I wasn't being a hypocrite!" Alex raised his brows, suspect of her ability to answer. He patiently tapped his left foot and leaned back as the girl raised her bracelet up and pointed at the Drive stone she had just used.

"Mom gave this to me before I left home. I uhhh…think it's called the Valkyrie Drive?" Shina blinked in a puzzled manner while looking down at the stone. Alex remarked with some irritation "How would you not know what your own stone is called?"

"She didn't tell me…?" Shina said as though that should've been an obvious answer to Alex. The boy then growled and rubbed his forehead. "Whatever…The name's not important. That type of power REALLY would've been nice to know about sooner than this. And the fact you were making such a big deal about being weak…" His words became mumbles during that last sentence and were born of a greater frustration than before.

What he didn't expect, however, was Shina's next remark. "I am still weak Alex." This got him to look at her with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. She placed the bracelet close to her chest and with a seldom seen blush in her cheeks she glanced away and said "C-Compared to you, anyways…I saw you fighting with Sol, I felt that great power your other form has…It was probably the reason I started feeling so useless. I mean, how could I…how could most people compare to that power? Even with the Valkyrie Drive, I still feel there's a massive gap between us."

"…Is that so?" Alex brushed his fingers along the length of his arm and urged her to continue. "I thought it was pointless to try the Valkyrie Drive out when you could handle everything on your own. But I can't think that way anymore…I'm going to try and do my part as well."

Though her words were genuine, Alex felt he had heard this spirit from her before and let out a dry scoff before turning his head. He had little reason to believe that vow would stick until she suddenly told him "So please Alex, I need you to train me." At that moment he swung his head back and muttered "Wait, what did you just say?"

He found himself focused on the fist clenched before her chest, and then he looked a little up to find a serious look beaming forth from her eyes. "I need you to train me Alex. You're stronger, you're more experienced…You're the best chance I have of improving myself. Please, I will not take 'no' for an answer!"

That level of straight-forwardness, while uncharacteristic of Shina, was something Alex found himself welcoming. He cracked a tiny smile and leaned his head back to break into laughter. He had not intended any mockery to come from his actions, but she ended up interpreting it as such. Firming her glare, Shina did not say a word and let Alex finish so he could tell her "Haaaa…Alright, wasn't trying to come off as a dick."

He held his arms out and shook his head. "You just took me by surprise. But you really are serious about this, aren't you?" Shina firmly nodded her head, and Alex folded his arms against his chest and in turn took upon a serious expression and bluntly told her "Fine, I'll train you. But you need to understand what that means."

With a fire in his eyes, the boy stared at her with all his intensity and said "You're going to be able to sleep and eat, but those are the only type of breaks you'll get. Unless I run out of the strength to train you, we're going to keep going at it. By the time I'm done, every muscle in your body is going to be yelling at me to stop, but I'll keep going."

Shina's body twitched a little bit, and she took a moment to swallow some saliva, but when she stared the boy in the eyes she met his glare with her own fire and said "I-I told you 'no' isn't an answer. I WILL do whatever it takes. If you hold back on me because we're friends, then…" Alex stopped her with a raise of the hand and then said "That's all I needed to hear."

He cracked a satisfied smile and then raised his hand up, pinching a couple of his fingers together. He glanced at Shina and asked "Are we done here?" She put her hands in her pockets and told him "We have the artifact piece, don't we?"

"Hmm…that we do." Alex gave a couple nods of the head then snapped his fingers to summon a sphere of air around the two of them. Their sphere rapidly rose off the ground, leaving the ruins of Illyria behind. Though the city looked that way, Alex and Shina firmly believed that Ky and Leo would one day be able to put it back together stronger than ever. The boy placed his hands in his pockets as the city became a speck amongst the continental landscape, and soon enough even the European continent was just one small part of the planet that quickly faded from view.

" _You know…I'm kinda going to miss those guys."_ Alex smiled as he reflected upon his experiences with the others. He then winced as his mind wandered towards the subject of the other being. Glancing back at Shina, who also appeared to be reflecting on her experiences, got Alex thinking _"Should I tell her what I heard?"_

Lowering his head, the boy shook his head and came to a conclusion _"That's not her fight. I don't need her worrying about that too. Right now, it's better just to help her train."_ He turned around and immediately drew his sword on Shina, who hopped back in surprise. The boy grinned and said "You better get ready. We're going to start with swordplay." Shina nodded her head and drew her rapier. In the coming months between planets, her long and grueling training would unfold, but she would be proud to have taken this step regardless of all that pain…

….

….

" _Hmmm, so you had some fun this time, did you not?"_

" _Thank you again for setting up that battle between the Flames of Corruption and our little Phoenix of Destruction."_

"… _Oh? You wonder why I requested that? Why, are you having trouble reading me for once, Y-"_

" _You know, I do believe it ruins the mystery if you just so casually let my name slip."_

" _Ahaha, decided to finally speak at these points in time instead of keeping it to the mind?"_

" _There's really no point in sticking to that considering they have seen me speak."_

" _A fair point. I will try not to slip up again, otherwise our whole plan might unravel."_

" _There's no threat of that. [ ] is currently disposed in dealing with the Phoenix of Balance. So long as things are timed perfectly, he shall not be able to interfere until it's far too late."_

" _Ah yes, the third 'Blank'…I do look forward to meeting him myself, should things go as planned. It will be quite a disarming experience."_

" _Heheh, I never took you as a joking type, Betrayer."_

" _Being around you puts me in a state of ease I rarely feel, witch of the grey."_

" _Fufufu…That's what friends do, isn't it?"_

" _Truly, we are the oddest of friends in that case. It's quite unfortunate that it'll be a while before we see each other again."_

" _I must be a little more involved in affairs for the next world, yes. But…I will get to truly start breaking the Phoenix of Destruction now. If I must be honest, the mere thought makes my body tingle."_

" _Just remember…"_

" _Oh no no no, I will not leave all the fun to that empty doll. He shall only be…half-broken by the time I'm through with him on that world."_

" _A rough estimate, is it?"_

" _So long as we stick within the margins of fate, as he would say."_

" _Ah yes, that man. You are lucky he has not wised up to your plans yet."_

" _He has no jurisdiction in this quadrant of the universe. And even so, there's nothing he could do to stop my plans."_

" _Perhaps we should leave this matter be then. All our words do now is serve to feed confusion."_

" _Ah, but confusion is but an emotion that tempts the body to react to the bait that is knowledge they not yet have. And like fish, they will come in droves when the time is right."_

" _We shall see, won't we?"_

" _In time…Until then, I bid you farewell, my friend."_

 **CLASH OF THE ELEMENTS PART 4 EX STORY 3**

 **THE END!**

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

And now that's another story done. Nothing much to say beyond that. Next up is the BlazBlue world, and I'll be starting that in the next week or so. Thank you for reading, enjoy your Thanksgiving if you celebrate that.


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